Police file charges against man accused of making bomb threat against a local school

LAWRENCE COUNTY, Pa. — Police have filed charges against a man accused of making a bomb threat against a local school.

A man called Lawrence County 911 at around 8:46 p.m. on Wednesday and said he placed a bomb in Neshannock High School.

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Neshannock Police Department cleared the school district and used K-9 bomb units to look for explosives, but none were found. The Neshannock School District held virtual classes on Thursday out of precaution.

Court documents say 32-year-old Benjamin Robert Bechtol told dispatchers his name while talking to them.

Officers say he was last known to be somewhere in California and say that is where he was when he made the call.

Bechtol faces one charge of weapons of mass destruction and one charge of terroristic threats.

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