Whitehall school, police officials respond to threat

Local law enforcement and Whitehall school officials have determined a threat left on the school voicemail was not credible.

According to a press release sent by the school, the district’s office personnel heard a voice message that said “Andy Pandy will be killed on Monday.” The Whitehall Police Department was made aware of the incident and an investigation began.

The release said local officials did not initially believe that it was a threat to anyone specifically at the school as the call came, apparently, from the state of Oklahoma. They later learned that one Whitehall High School student may have been called a nickname similar to what was used on the message.  The student was then placed in a protected space and his or her parents were made aware. 

Whitehall schools were placed in a minimal security status to provide a baseline of safety and additional law enforcement officers from both the Whitehall Police Department and the Trempealeau County Sheriff’s Department were requested and arrived on site. 

Multiple interviews were conducted to evaluate whether this could be a local issue, but no local connection was apparent. As of Monday night, school and police officials still hadn’t made a local connection. 

Law enforcement officials in the state of Oklahoma, as well as the Adams County Sheriff’s Department were contacted and are both currently assisting the Whitehall Police Department in this ongoing investigation. 

Schools remained in heightened security throughout the school day Monday, but all evening activities went as planned and school returned to normal on Tuesday.