Advertisement $10K reward offered after Seminole County elementary school bomb threat FBI, FDLE join investigation Share Shares Copy Link Copy

Several elementary schools in Seminole County were evacuated or locked down after a hoax call reporting bombs inside of schools Friday afternoon, deputies said.The FBI and Florida Department of Law Enforcement are now involved in the investigation, and a reward of up to $10,000 is being offered.According to the Seminole County Sheriff's Office, it received a call at 1:30 p.m. advising there were bombs at Casselberry Elementary and Winter Springs Elementary. The caller also said a bomb was at Oviedo Elementary, which does not exist.Deputies initially believed similar calls had been made to additional schools, but that turned out to be false.All 35 public elementary schools in the county were either evacuated or locked down as law enforcement officials searched.Students from Lake Orienta Elementary in Altamonte Springs walked in the pouring rain to nearby Grace Church."I got there and there's kids everywhere and parents are hysterical. It's just a madhouse," parent Faith Clark said. "I'm scared to death considering I live very close to the school."At district headquarters, the phones were ringing constantly with parents wondering what was going on and how to get their kids."We have to treat every situation as real," said district spokesman Mike LawrenceNo devices were found and all schools were cleared by 4 p.m.Investigators are now trying to track down the source of the call, and the school district wants to prosecute whoever is behind the hoax.According to Florida law, this kind of bomb threat is a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison plus a fine to pay the cost of the law enforcement response.Images: Students evacuated over bomb threatDue to the chaos, school dismissal and buses were slightly delayed."There may be some schools that take a little longer, not just car riders, but bike riders, walkers and some of our buses may be delayed as well," said Lawrence.Parents wanting to pick up their children were asked to be patient when they arrived at the school or evacuation location.Friday's incident was not the first hoax at Seminole County schools in 2014.In February, a 12-year-old was arrested and charged after a shooting hoax at Lake Mary High School.Authorities said the boy called 911 and used a false name to report a shooting at the school. The boy told dispatchers he was calling from a school bathroom.The call to 911 was released.Dispatcher: What do you see right now? Boy: There's a lot of blood all over the place (inaudible), so it's not safe.Dispatcher: Where are you?Boy: I'm in the bathroom, so I could call you guys. No one knows what to do.Investigators said the boy is a student at a local middle school. He was charged with misuse of 911 and disruption of an educational institution.Both charges are misdemeanors.