A 16-year-old boy from Milton, Ont., has been arrested for making bomb threats against two high schools in Northern Ontario.
The suspect cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
He called in bomb threats last week to Espanola High School and Chapleau High School, said Espanola Police Service.
The school boards and police took precautionary measures, closing the schools temporarily pending further investigation.
The Espanola High School building also houses A.B. Ellis Public School, École secondaire catholique Franco-Ouest, and One Tot Stop Daycare.
The schools and the daycare will re-open on Oct. 18. On Monday, École secondaire catholique Franco-Ouest students had been relocated to École Saint-Joseph. Student transportation will also resume.
Over the weekend, school officials and the Espanola Police Service searched the schools on the Espanola High School site. There were no suspicious items located.
A joint investigation by the Espanola Police Service and the Ontario Provincial Police led to the identification of the suspect, who is now charged with three counts of uttering threats to damage property, two counts of mischief over $5,000, two counts of public mischief, four counts of uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm, two counts of identity fraud and two counts of providing false information.
He was scheduled for Sudbury bail court on Oct. 17 to answer to his charges.
There is no threat to the community of Espanola and school is now able to resume safely, said Espanola Police Service.
Rainbow District School Board and Conseil scolaire catholique du Nouvel-Ontario thanked the Espanola Police Service and Ontario Provincial Police for working with the school community to ensure the well-being of students and staff.
Correction: An earlier version of this story included a quote from the OPP stating that there is no indication of terrorist activity. This OPP quote is linked to a separate incident of a Manitoulin man who was arrested and charged for making explosives. We apologize if this caused any confusion.
