Upper Moreland Township Police Department Photo by James Short.
An Upper Moreland police officer and their bomb-detecting K9 helped diffuse a bomb threat made at a local school.
John Bowden, 18, of the 1100 block of Ansley Avenue in Elkins Park, has been charged with multiple felonies in connection to the bomb threat made at the Elkins Park School of the Cheltenham School District.
On April 22, the Cheltenham Police Department was dispatched to the Elkins Park School, 8149 New Second Street, for the report of a bomb in the bathroom. The school was evacuated after a student found a mysterious item on the floor of the bathroom and notified a teacher, according to police.
The Montgomery County Sheriff bomb squad and an Upper Moreland police officer and his bomb detecting K9 were dispatched to the school. They discovered two approximately 5” black plastic objects with 1/8” manilla rope approximately 5” in length, with a painted red tip attached to each object, each having the appearance of a bomb, according to police.
Police also discovered a note that was hung on the bathroom door using ½” clear tape that read, “Ther (sic) will be a bomb set off in the school today warning,” according to the police report. There was a second note hung on the wall of the bathroom that read, “Warning there will be a bomb set off in the school.”
While at the school, officers interviewed a teacher, who stated that she was notified by another student about the notes in the bathroom. According to the teacher, one of the toilets was not flushed, and one student, later identified as Bowden, was “known for not flushing the toilet,” according to police documents.
A Safety Officer from the school conducted a search of Bowden’s bag, which found a roll of clear tape which was consistent with the tape used to secure the notes to the bathroom wall and door. A black handle scissors and a black gel pen was also found. The pen matched the writing found on the notes in the bathroom.
Police spoke to Bowden’s mother, who stated that she has seen her son with a black plastic ball object with yarn coming off of it, which describes the objects used in the bomb scare.
Bowden is charged with felonies of placement or setting of a weapon of mass destruction, terroristic threats, and other charges, according to police.
All suspects and defendants are innocent until proven guilty. This story was compiled using public court records.
