Cartersville schools placed on lockdown after threats

CARTERSVILLE, Ga. (FOX 5 Atlanta) - A threat to a Cartersville elementary school led to four schools being placed on lockdown and parents and students concerned Thursday.

Officials now say the FBI helped police track down the person accused of causing the panic.

On Thursday as a precaution, law enforcement from several agencies responded to the schools.

A letter from the Cartersville School System Superintendent Dr. Marc Feuerbach to all parents said, at the time, the school system "did not know the validity of the threat ... but, it was taken very seriously."

The school system also says the safety of its staff and students was never compromised.

In an email to FOX 5 News, Cartersville police said the safety measures were put in place because of a "hoax call" that was "traced to an individual who has no ties to the city of Cartersville."

Investigators have not identified the individual, but they did tell FOX 5 the individual is also a suspect in several other calls with similar threats in other jurisdictions.

Cartersville police say they can't release any other details, including the other areas where calls were places, or the suspect's location.

Police did say the person at the center of the investigation will face charges from Catersville police and other agencies.