Texas State Rep. Brooks Landgraf (R-Odessa) took to Facebook on Aug. 23 to say he consulted with local law enforcement officials following a fake threat to Permian High School and plans to crack down on such actions. Landgraf said he’ll work to stiffen the penalty for hoax threats.
"After discussions with local law enforcement leaders, I’m working to crack down on hoax threat calls (like those at Permian High School) by increasing the penalty for that crime," Landgraf wrote in an Aug. 23 Facebook post. "As part of the punishment, the criminal should have to pay for the public resources that were squandered as a result of the bogus call."
"I’m concerned about the cost to law enforcement, the desensitization of the public in the event of an actual threat, and the general disruption these can cause for a school," Landgraf added.
KWES Channel 9 reports that the Odessa Police Department (OPD) fielded a bomb threat for Permian High, prompting multiple law enforcement agencies and Ector County Independent School District (ECISD) police to conduct a search of the campus. According to the report, authorities discovered two backpacks but determined that they didn't pose a danger.
Citing ECISD officials, Midland Reporter-Telegram reports that authorities didn’t find explosives or suspicious items. Meanwhile, students, faculty, and staff were led away to an adjoining school field. Aug. 22 marked the second consecutive day in which a threat was made to the school. The school was placed under lockdown the preceding day in response to an active shooter threat, which was also determined to be a hoax.
"Permian High School and district officials are angry and frustrated to have school interrupted this way," ECISD said in a statement obtained by Midland Reporter-Telegram. "ECISD will continue to work with other local, state and federal agencies to identify the person, or people, responsible for making these threats and prosecute to the fullest extent of the law."
Odessa and Midland are preparing to mark the grim fourth-year anniversary of the Aug. 31, 2019, shootings that claimed the lives of 29-year-old U.S. Postal Service (USPS) employee Mary Granados, 15-year-old Odessa High School student Leilah Hernandez, Army veteran Kameron Brown, 25-year-old San Antonio resident Edwin Peregrino, 57-year-old business owner Rudolfo Arco, 35-year-old truck driver Raul Garcia, and 40-year-old married father of two Joe Griffith. Midland Times previously reported that Landgraf introduced the Leilah Hernandez Act in response to the shootings and that the bill was signed by Gov. Greg Abbott.