Two boys in custody for Dexter middle school bomb threat

Dexter Public School administrators credit excellent investigative work by local law enforcement agencies in the arrest early Wednesday afternoon of two 13-year-old boys who now face charges of calling in a false bomb threat to Dexter's T.S. Hill Middle School. The two were taken into custody at the middle school shortly after noon Wednesday.

According to police chief Paul Haubold, the two have been charged with reporting a false bomb report, which is a class D felony.

Missouri Statute 575.090.1 defines the nature of the charges as follows: "A person commits the crime of making a false bomb report if he knowingly makes a false report or causes a false report to be made to any person that a bomb or other explosive has been placed in any public or private place or vehicle."

According to the chief and Detective Trevor Pulley, who served as the investigator on the case, the two boys involved with the allegations admitted their actions and are being held at the Stoddard County Juvenile Detention Center. They are both enrolled as students at the middle school.

The threat was called into the office of the school at about 11 a.m. Tuesday. The school building was secured by Dexter police in a matter of minutes after they were notified by school officials of the threat. Once the area was secured, all students were evacuated to Dexter High School until a sweep of the building was made and it was deemed safe by law agencies to allow students and staff back into the building.

Local police, the Stoddard County Sheriff's Department and the Missouri State Highway Patrol responded to the call.