HIGH SCHOOLS Youngstown teen faces charge in bomb threats

Police think the accused just wanted to get his friends out of school.
BOARDMAN -- A 17-year-old Youngstown boy was charged with felony inducing panic after he made three bomb threats to two different schools, police say.
Township police and Youngstown police arrested Alfredo R. Harris of West Midlothian Boulevard on Friday afternoon.
According to police, Harris made a bomb threat to Boardman High School on Oct. 19 and another bomb threat to Chaney High School that same day. Police said Harris also made a bomb threat to Chaney on Oct. 22.
After the bomb threat in Boardman, Boardman High School was evacuated to a nearby building. Police, school officials and firefighters searched the building but found nothing.
Chaney High School was not evacuated, but the building was searched and nothing found.
Transferred from Boardman
Boardman police Detective Jim Briganti said Harris is a former Boardman High School student, but he transferred to a school in Youngstown. Police reports list Life Skills School on Market Street, an alternative education facility, as his current school.
Police said a check of phone records led to a cell phone owned by Harris.
Police say they aren't clear as to why Harris made the phone calls. Briganti said police think that Harris was home alone and wanted some of his friends to be released from school, and figured the bomb threat was the fastest way to do that.
Harris was released to his parents and will have a juvenile court appearance at a later date.