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Bomb threat at Ankeny Centennial was 'not credible', police say

The "not credible" threat interrupted and eventually canceled the Iowa High School Speech Association's State Large Group Contest on Saturday.

ANKENY, Iowa — A social media post indicating there was a bomb at an Ankeny high school was found "not credible" after a thorough search of the grounds on Saturday, according to police and school personnel. 

Ankeny Centennial High School was evacuated due to bomb threats made on social media on Saturday afternoon, Ankeny police confirmed with Local 5. 

The school, located at 2220 Northwest State Street in Ankeny, was evacuated as of 3:30 p.m. following threats. The Ankeny Community School District said that building administrators were the ones to call Ankeny police after hearing about the threats shortly after 2 p.m.

Police talked to those who allegedly made the threat and determined that the threat was not credible.

Sgt. Corey Schneden said it's possible a minor made the bomb threats, but the person's identity has not yet been confirmed.

The high school was hosting the Iowa High School Speech Association's SW State Large Group Contest today, with a few thousand people on campus. 

"We only brought six kids, so it was lucky for us to have a smaller group to get out," said CAM High School senior Dalton Reed. "But you have some of these big schools like Waukee, and they brought like three buses of kids, and that's probably hard to get a handle on."

The school district confirmed that the event was canceled, and all attendees were "immediately evacuated from the building and sent home" after spending time waiting for next steps in the parking lot.

"We also want to thank the quick response from partners at the Ankeny Police Department, Johnston Police Department, and the Iowa State Fire Marshal to ensure the safety of the building," the Ankeny Community School District said in a release.

Students from CAM High School told Local 5 that they left their bags and belongings behind in the school —including their keys and wallets.

“We're sitting there, it just comes over the intercom: ‘Coaches, parents, judges, performers please exit the building at this time.’ Nothing was said after that, and we all left the building. We didn't know what to expect from there,” Bradyn Burmeiser-Bohnsack said.

There has been no announcement from the Iowa High School Speech Association about what happens next for those students who didn't get a chance to perform Saturday, or if they plan to re-schedule the event.

Attendees who left behind belongings can retrieve them at these times:

  • Saturday, Feb. 3: 7:30-9:30 p.m.

  • Sunday, Feb. 4: 8-11 a.m.

Local 5 will update this story as more information becomes available. Download the We Are Iowa app or subscribe to Local 5's "5 Things to Know" email newsletter for the latest.

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