Two Highlands Ranch High School students accused of having a fake bomb at school on Thursday are facing charges, according to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies responded to the school at 9375 Cresthill Lane just before noon after staff found a suspicious device attached to the outside of a locker, the sheriff’s office said on social media.
The area was evacuated and the school was put on “hold” until bomb technicians and more deputies arrived. Students and staff were later evacuated to Cresthill Middle School.
Bomb technicians found it was a “simulated device” that posed no threat and removed it from the locker, the sheriff’s office said.
Detectives identified two students in the case and are recommending charges of possession of a hoax explosive, a felony, and interference with an educational institution, a misdemeanor. The students were released to their parents, sheriff’s spokesperson Deborah Takahara said.
The device was built at the school and not brought in, Douglas County School District spokesperson Paula Hans said. After the sheriff’s office found the device was not a threat, students returned to the building and classes resumed as normal.
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