Suspect identified in high school bomb hoax
March 6, 2013
Boundary County school superintendent Dick Conley has confirmed that a suspect in the latest bombing hoax at Bonners Ferry High School has been identified and suspended with a recommendation for expulsion.

Neither the name nor the gender of the student is being released, as a criminal investigation by the Bonners Ferry Police Department is underway. A special school board meeting will be set between now and next Wednesday, when the suspension expires, to hold an expulsion hearing; under Idaho Code, only the school board has the authority to approve or deny an expulsion recommedation.

"I can confirm it is a high school student," Conley said, "and I can confirm that security procedures put in place by the district contributed to the identification."

In the wake of Monday's bomb hoax, he said, the BFHS student council has met in special session with administrators and the school board, and have been making plans for a special assembly, addressed at fellow students, to address the issue, and to attempt to convey how serious the action and the cost, not only to students, but to the entire community.

"These students are wonderful, and they're as frustrated as we are about this," said school board chair Melanie Staples. "They approached us to ask what more students could do to put an end to this nightmare, and as a board, we are grateful for their efforts."

The date for that assembly has yet to be finalized, and according to Conley, having a suspect is not going to curtail their plans.

"Our students are the ones most affected by these acts, and I think the actions of the student council are commendable," he said. He promised to inform newsbf as soon as their plans are finalized.

Conley and other school officials now have to present the evidence gathered so far, which resulted to the suspension, to the board, and the board, in closed session, has to hear that evidence and provide an opportunity for the suspect and representatives to refute that allegations before they can weigh the information and render a decision on expulsion.

Separate and apart, the Bonners Ferry Police Department, led by School Resource Officer Tiffany Murray, has to conduct its own investigation, and present the facts gathered to the city prosecutor, who has the responsibility to determine what, if any, criminal charges to file.

If charges are filed, the matter goes to courts of law, where the State of Idaho will present its case and the defendant will do the same.

Until a plea is rendered or a jury finds for the state, the as-yet unnamed suspect must be presumed innocent.

Regardless of the outcome, Staples said, her greatest hope is that these disruptive and costly incidents will end.