A state official looking for an injured deer prompted a brief lockdown at a Heber City high school Thursday.
Wasatch High School locked its doors as school officials say police investigated a “threat” that was reported by a student. As the police investigated the suspicious circumstance, students stayed in the locked school and continued their classwork.
Turns out, the perceived threat was actually a technician with the state Division of Wildlife Resources who was nearby “responding to and dispatching an injured deer,” school officials said in a Facebook post.
But despite the mix-up, school officials praised the student who made the report.
“We are confident that any future incidents will be handled in a similarly efficient and effective manner,” school officials said.
DWR officials said in a Thursday statement that the employee was in a residential area near the high school, and had notified Wasatch County dispatchers that they were in the area. The employee, however, did not tell dispatchers that they would be outside of their vehicle with a firearm.
“We are reviewing the incident, and our internal policies and practices to determine the best course of action moving forward,” DWR officials said. "We regret any distress this may have caused students, administrators and parents.”
