MILTON — Local police have confirmed that school threats prompted a federal investigation in Milton on Tuesday, leading to a soft lockdown of Milton schools.
Milton Police Chief Brandon Sachse told The 69 Wednesday police were investigating vague, “loose threats” made online toward a school.
The district instituted a soft lockdown, which it now refers to as a “SECURE,” a designation that means police believe there is no active or imminent threat at a school. It means buildings are secured, with students and staff kept indoors.
“There was no specificity, which is why we went in a widespread SECURE across the district,” Sachse said.
The district said in a bulletin Tuesday to families that “there was not a direct threat made against any Milton school, and no broad threat to the community.”
Once authorities located a suspect, Tuesday afternoon, the school district and police lifted the lockdown, and normal daily operations in the district proceeded.
Sachse could not confirm if it any district school in particular was threatened. The threats originated outside the city’s jurisdiction, Sachse said, but he was not sure exactly where.
He also could not confirm if it was a current or former student suspected of making threats.
Sachse has been out of the office this week. He said he’s been briefed on the situation but was uninvolved in the investigation.
The Milton Police Department’s school resource officer went with the FBI to investigate. The Rock County Sheriff’s Office confirmed it assisted in the investigation, using its special investigations unit, but officials otherwise declined comment, deferring instead to Milton police.
