LEONARDTOWN, Md. (Sept 3, 2008, 12:30 p.m.)—The Leonardtown school
campus is currently is a lockdown mode after an unknown person called the Walden Sierra suicide hotline this morning and claimed he was in the woods by the schools and planned to commit suicide. The caller disconnected the call before hotline staffers could obtain any more details.
Local police were dispatched to the campus to secure it and search for the caller in the nearby woodline, according to Dfc. Cindy Allen, Public Information Officer, St. Mary's County Sheriff's Office. According to Allen the schools are locked down, but classes are still underway.
"We're not sure if this is valid or a prank call," said Allen. The steps to lock down the school are a "precautionary measure," noted Allen.
The school system released an advisory after noon confirming that the Leonardtown
campus (high school, middle school, and tech center) is in a temporary lockdown.
"All students and staff within the school buildings are safe and secure and are attending their regular schedule of classes,"
concluded the advisory.
Details will follow as they become available.