ELGIN, Minn. – Police frisked 250 students at Elgin Junior High School and searched the grounds and lockers after an online threat of violence. No problem was identified, said Plainview Police Chief Jason Timm. The threat was on Snapchat and threatened violence in the afternoon but otherwise was unspecific, the chief said. As a precaution, other schools in the Plainview-Elgin-Millville system also were checked:
> Plainview High (Grades 9-12), 460 students.
> Elgin Elementary (Grades 4-6), 350.
> Plainview Elementary (Grades PK-4), 430.
“These threats cannot be discounted,” Chief Timm said.
Threat epidemic
The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension recorded an uptick of Snapchat posts throughout the state at the start of the week. It was the same in Iowa, where several threats were posted, including one at Clear Lake schools.