Police evacuated three buildings at Indian River State College's Massey Campus in Fort Pierce on Friday morning after a bomb threat was emailed to the campus, though no explosives were found. A staff member opened the email shortly before 9 a.m. and immediately notified campus security, according to Fort Pierce police.
Officers evacuated three buildings identified in the message, including the library, and conducted thorough searches. St. Lucie police and the Indian River County Sheriff's Office assisted in the search. Barbara Rubin-Perry, who was inside the college at the time, said she was really scared more than anybody else there.
Police said the email appears similar in format to threats reported in Martin County on Thursday, though they cannot directly connect the incidents. The FBI is now working with local investigators to trace the email's origin.
Michael Santiago of the Fort Pierce Police Department said such threats disrupt classes and divert officers from other duties. "We're disrupting a school, all of the students, all of the faculty. So once we narrow this down, for those who are making these threats, we will find you and we will prosecute you," Santiago said.
He added that police dedicate significant resources to these threats because they never know if one might be real. The campus is expected to resume normal operations on Monday.