TUCSON, Ariz. — A 15-year-old has been arrested for allegedly calling in bomb threats to three schools in southern Arizona.
On April 16, students at Cienega High School near Tucson were evacuated off campus after the school received a bomb threat over the phone. The Pima County Sheriff's Department searched the campus and found no suspicious items and classes resumed.
At about the same time, two other schools in Pima County -- Empire High and Desert Sky Middle School -- received similar bomb threats over the phone. Both of those campuses were evacuated and nothing suspicious was found.
PCSD said investigators later identified a 15-year-old as the person responsible for calling in the bomb threats. The suspect allegedly admitted to the conduct and claimed the threats were meant as a "joke."
The teenager is now facing felony charges and was booked into the Pima County Juvenile Detention Center.
UP TO SPEED
What is the Valley?:
“The Valley” is what locals call the Phoenix Metropolitan Area. It is considered the largest metropolitan area in the Southwest.
The Valley is made up of various major cities other than Phoenix, including:
- Mesa
- Chandler
- Scottsdale
- Tempe
- Glendale
- Surprise
- Peoria
- Gilbert
- El Mirage
- Avondale
- Litchfield Park
- Goodyear
- Buckeye
Whether a city is in the “East Valley” or “West Valley” depends on where it is in relation to Phoenix.
The cities of the Valley have a combined population of 4,845,832 people, according to the 2020 United States Census. This makes it the 11th largest metropolitan area in the country right behind the Boston and Atlanta areas.
How big is Maricopa County?
Maricopa County is the United States’ 4th largest county in terms of population with 4,485,414 people, according to the 2020 Census.
The county contains around 63% of Arizona’s population and is 9,224 square miles. That makes the county larger than seven U.S. states (Rhode Island, Delaware, Connecticut, Hawaii, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire).
One of the largest park systems in the nation is also located in Maricopa County. The county has an estimated 120,000 acres of open space parks that includes hundreds of miles of trails, nature centers and campgrounds.
The county’s seat is located in Phoenix, which is also the state capital and the census-designated 5th most populous city in the United States.
The county was named after the Maricopa, or Piipaash, Native American Tribe.
