Martensdale-St. Marys school district evacuates after bomb threat

Students in the Martensdale-St. Marys Community School District were evacuated due to a bomb threat, school officials confirmed on Wednesday.

Around 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, law enforcement searched for explosives in the lunchroom based on an anonymous threat received earlier in the morning, according to an email sent to parents. The search showed it was a false threat and no device was found.

Law enforcement also identified the person who made the threat, according to the email. Principal Josh Moser declined to say whether anyone was arrested or not.

The Warren County Sheriff's Office confirmed that a juvenile was taken into custody.

All students were evacuated from the K-12 building and are dismissed for the rest of the day. In an email sent to parents, it advised that students riding the bus will go home on their regular routes.

Parents wanting to pick up their children can get their elementary students at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Martensdale and middle school and high school students are at Martensdale Community Church.

Around 512 students are enrolled in the district, according to data from the Iowa Department of Education.