Patriot Bremerton
FRIDAY, MARCH 23, 2012 | Vol. 14, No. 9 www.bremertonpatriot.com | 50¢
Big scare Bomb threat bank robber shuts down Silverdale Way
Veterans Life A Sound Publishing Monthly Magazine
April 2012
In your name Veterans legislation ❚ pg. 11
Lockdown drills paying off at schools Parents don’t feel schools are any more unsafe than before
By KRISTIN OKINAKA kokinaka@soundpublishing.com
Greg Skinner /Staff Photo
A bomb technician heads into the Silverdale Way branch of Key Bank March 15 during a massive response to a robber in search of $50,000 claiming to have a bomb. See the full story on page 7
Veterans Life In your name, the legislative results on veterans issues Inside
For many students, practicing a school lockdown is routine to a fire or earthquake drill. Recently, a few Kitsap County elementary schools had more than a lockdown drill. Last week, a South Kitsap elementary school locked down because there was a possible threat to the school in connection to an attempted Silverdale bank robbery. Last month, Armin Jahr Elementary School in Bremerton also locked down after a gun accidentally discharged while in a student’s backpack, and the bullet from the gun struck another classmate. School administrators say policies are kept in place for the safety of students and staff. A school lockdown is included and could take effect if there is a safety concern. Parents understand that sometimes situations occur that are beyond a school’s control and they do the best that they are able to. With last Thursday’s incident, a Bremerton woman attempted to rob a Silverdale bank and told Kitsap County sheriff ’s deputies that unknown men “made” her do it and that her son was in jeopardy. Although it was discovered that the woman had no bomb with her, she initially posed a bomb threat.
Dave Colombini, director of school and family support for the South Kitsap School District, said the school’s resource officer — who was contacted by the sheriff ’s office — told him that there was “police activity” at a bank and a student’s name — the woman’s son — was mentioned. The school that the boy attends, Mullenix Ridge in Port Orchard, went through a lockdown for about 15 minutes, Colombini said. “As a precaution, they were going to make sure the students were safe,” he said. Lockdown drills are practiced throughout the district’s schools and Colombini said that a school could go into lockdown for a variety of reasons. No one was injured during last Thursday’s incident, Colombini said. “This was very shortlived. We’re just grateful everyone was fine,” he added. Schools in the Central Kitsap School District also practice lockdown drills and a school could go into lockdown when there is a safety concern and students and staff need to remain isolated from an incident, said David Beil, spokesman for the school district. “During some years, the building may only experience a lockdown in a drill situation. In other years, a school may experience a lockdown in addition to a See lockdown, A8