A suspicious device caused a lockdown at a Thurston County high school Tuesday morning

Rolf Boone / Olympian (TNS)

Chinook High School in Lacey was placed on lockdown around 9 a.m. Tuesday after a suspicious device was found in a portable potty near the school, according to a message sent to families and Lacey police.

According to an e-mail sent to parents by school principal Sarah Shaw, after the device was reported, the school decided to impose a lockout.

“We called for a lockout during which all staff and students went to the gym,” she wrote. “We are cooperating with law enforcement authorities, they are on the spot. The lockout ended shortly after 9 a.m. and students returned to their classrooms.”

This is the third case of a suspicious device found at or near the school since May 18, says Sgt. Lacey Police. – said Jeremy Knight.

On May 18, a device was found in a portable potty. Two devices were found in a wooded area east of the school on May 20, and another device was found in a portable potty on Tuesday.

Knight described these devices as primitive attempts to create an explosive, although he stated that “none of them were feasible.” Police are working with the Washington State Patrol bomb squad and other partners on the case, adding that all devices have been collected and analyzed, he added.

“We assure you that school safety is a top priority and we will continue to monitor the situation,” Principal Shaw said in her email.

Anyone with information is asked to call Lacey Police at 360-459-4333 or Chinook Administration at 360-412-4760.

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