DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin and Glen Ellyn Chief of Police Phillip Norton announced today that a Glenbard West High School student has been accused of phoning in a bomb threat directed at the high school. The juvenile, a seventeen-year-old male appeared at a detention hearing this morning where Judge Joshua Dieden ordered that he be detained until at least his next court date which is scheduled for May 12, 2023. He has been charged with two counts of Disorderly Conduct, a Class 4 Felony.
On May 3, 2023, at approximately 11:12 a.m., a voicemail was left for administrators at Glenbard West High School stating “West you have ten minutes to get out or a bomb will go off on the first, second and third floor.” Authorities did not hear the voicemail until after 11:30 a.m. At 11:43 a.m., the school received another call stating the same threat, but the caller stated that the bomb would go off in fifteen minutes. The school was evacuated and classes were cancelled for the rest of the day. An investigation into the threats conducted by the Glen Ellyn Police Department led authorities to the juvenile as a suspect. The juvenile was taken into custody later that afternoon following a traffic stop in Glendale Heights.
“With the school year coming to a close, I want to remind everyone that my office takes any threat directed at a school extremely seriously,” Berlin said. “Threats to bomb a school, as alleged in this case, are not harmless jokes or an excuse to blow off steam. They can have a terrifying impact on students, staff and the entire community and anyone suspected of making such a threat will be fully investigated and charged accordingly. I thank authorities at Glenbard West High School for contacting law enforcement as well as the Glen Ellyn Police Department for the quick identification and apprehension of the suspect in this case. I also thank Assistant State’s Attorneys Katherine Klosowski and Sara Henley for their work on this case and for their ongoing efforts to keep our schools as safe as possible.”
“I am extremely pleased that our team was able to quickly identify the suspect,” Norton said. “We are also very thankful for the assistance and support from DuPage County State’s Attorney Bob Berlin and his Office.”
Members of the public are reminded that this complaint contains only charges and is not proof of the defendant’s guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the government’s burden to prove his or her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
