Man charged with threatening Karns City High School
FAIRVIEW TWP — A young Armstrong County man has been arrested on a charge of threatening to blow up Karns City High School.
Garrett Michael DeBacco, 18, of Cowansville, was charged Friday with threats to use weapons of mass destruction after a bomb threat was found Tuesday on a bathroom wall at Karns City High School, state police said in a news release.
DeBacco was arraigned Friday before District Judge Lewis Stoughton in Chicora. He was placed in Butler County Prison on $50,000 bond.
The bomb threat Tuesday was found to be a hoax, but not until after all 730 students and 80 employees were sent home early.
A student found the threat written on the wall of a bathroom stall in the high school portion of the building and reported it to the office around noon, touching off the evacuation and response by state police, said Superintendent Eric Ritzert.
At the time, Ritzert said the threat was likely made by a student, adding, “We will seek prosecution to fullest extent the law permits.”
It could not be confirmed Friday night that DeBacco was a Karns City student. Butler Eagle archives list DeBacco as a member of the 2017 varsity football team.
