March 21, 2003 – Classes at three schools on St. Thomas were disrupted Friday by telephoned bomb threats. And yet another threat was called into the Alexander A. Farrelly Justice Complex in downtown Charlotte Amalie.
For the third time in four days, Addelita Cancryn Junior High Schools students had their studies interrupted, this time by a phone call to the school around noon. Once again, classrooms were evacuated.
Toddlers, mothers and teachers from the nearby Minnetta Mitchell Headstart school also headed along with the Cancryn youngsters for the safety of Joseph Aubain Ballpark in Frenchtown.
At Joseph Gomez Elementary School in the Tutu area, an aide in the principal's office confirmed a scare there. "We did not evacuate. We searched the building, nothing was found and we resumed classes," the aide said.
The justice complex also was evacuated.
A Fire Service official said that agency received a report of the Gomez threat around 11 a.m., and the Cancryn one came in around 12:45 p.m. It was after 2 p.m. that word of the call to the justice complex was received, the official said.
The threats called in this week to Cancryn are reminiscent of November 2001, when the school experienced four scares in three days.
On Friday, after police and fire units deemed the Cancryn buildings safe, students returned to their classes shortly after 1 p.m., Deputy Police Chief Theodore Carty said.
The justice complex was declared all clear at 2:45 p.m. according to police.
The V.I. Territorial Emergency Management Agency was advised of the call made to the justice center. Harold Baker, VITEMA director, said the agency is "involved with anything that's an emergency," to coordinate the response of emergency services "and assist wherever we can."
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