Pickerington Schools Spent Day On Lockdown Because Of Threat

Pickerington Local Schools were put under lockdown late this morning after a threat was phoned in to North High School. Fairfield County Sherriff Dave Phalen says the caller had a thick accent. "He was going to attack Pickerington North due to the attacks on Israel," says Phalen. Phalen says he's investigated hundreds of telephone threats during his decades-long career. But none he says have been like this one. "I have never had one that is legitimate on these kind of calls. But this is different. The school resource officer did say that it sounded like an adult that he was talking to. And typically what we find is that we have kids doing this," says Phalen. It's up to district school officials whether classes will resume tomorrow, Phalen says. If they do, extra law enforcement officers will be present at Pickerington North High.