By AP/KWMU
Mascoutah, ILL. – Authorities say a bomb threat at Mascoutah High School in the Metro-East turned out to be bogus, but not before classes there were canceled today (Monday).
Someone scrawled the threat on a wall at the school on Friday. And early this morning, Masoutah Police Chief Bruce Fleshren says a bomb-sniffing dog brought in from nearby Scott Air Force Base alerted to something suspicious near the gymnasium.
No explosive was found. Fleshren believes the scent could have been from any of a number of sources, including fertilizer brought in to the rural school on a student's shoes or even cleaning solvents or residue from fireworks. The threat took time to dispel, Fleshren says, so the district chose to cancel classes to avoid any confusion.