EKY school swatting threat tied to similar recent hoax in Texas, police say

Two schools in Boyd County were the subject of a swatting hoax Friday, and the phone number used to place the call has been tied to a similar incident reported this week in Texas.

Ashland police officials outlined the incident in a Facebook post Friday, stating there was no credible threat to either school.

The prank calls were not placed to the schools directly, but rather the Ashland Water Treatment Plant, which received a phone call Friday from a man stating he was “going to get a gun and go to Boyd County Middle School and Ashland Middle School,” police said.

School resource officers were already on campus and joined by other law enforcement following the call.

“Detectives quickly gathered information and, through coordinated investigative resources, determined that the phone number used in this threat was also connected to a similar ‘swatting’ call reported in Texas on January 7,” the social media post reads.

Swatting, a practice that has grown in popularity in recent years, involves making prank threats of violence against public places and institutions, often schools, in the hopes of drawing law enforcement response.

Officers remained at the schools Friday while investigating the threat. A staff member at Boyd County Middle School said the school day was not interrupted for students. Officials with Ashland Middle School could not be immediately reached for comment Friday afternoon.

“Our investigators will continue to follow all leads to identify the caller responsible for this incident,” the social media post continues.

A call to Ashland police officials was not immediately returned, and the details of the incident in Texas are not immediately clear.