UPDATE: Statements issued regarding Tuesday morning Lewis and Clark Community College threat

GODFREY – Lewis and Clark Community College released a statement regarding this morning's telephone threat to its campus.

Around 10 a.m., the college's Facebook page alerted the general public the campus was going to experience more of a police and security presence Tuesday due to a possible threat. The posting said both the Madison County Sheriff's Office and Alton Police Department were working on investigating that threat. A representative from the Madison County Sheriff's Office said their intelligence found the threat to be an unsubstantiated anonymous caller, but assured the office was taking it seriously, despite the lack of evidence to give credit to that threat.

This is the statement released by Lewis and Clark Community College through Web Editor and Media Specialist Laura Inlow:

This morning, Lewis and Clark Community College was notified by Madison County of a possible threat to campus. Immediately upon notification, L&C worked to make sure all campuses were secure. The college will remain open today, but students, employees, and visitors will notice an increased presence of police and security on all campuses. The Alton Police Department and Madison County Sheriff’s Department are working to identify the caller and resolve the possible threat. In the meantime, we are asking anyone on campus who witnesses anything suspicious to report it to Campus Security at (618) 468-2300. If anyone in the community knows anything related to the caller, they should contact the Madison County Police Department at (618) 692-4433. We take the safety of our campus and our students, employees, and visitors very seriously and will continue to have an increased presence of police and security until the issue has been resolved. We will also continue to communicate with our campus community through our alert system and will post any updates online.

Schools in the vicinity of Lewis and Clark Community College's campuses have also been alerted to the possible, but unsubstantiated threat, and have issued warnings and updates to parents of those students. Parents with children who are students at Lewis and Clark Elementary School have reported receiving phone calls to Riverbender.com, and a statement from Edwardsville High School Principal Dr. Dennis Cramsey was sent to students of that school, stating the following:

Dear Parents,

On Tuesday, August 28, at approximately 11:15 a.m., I was notified by School Resource Officer Sgt. Matt Breihan of a possible threat to Lewis and Clark Community College. The Alton Police Department and Madison County Sheriff’s Department has responded to the possible threat. Increased security has been put in place at all LCCC campuses. EHS administration and School Resource Officer John Arendell responded immediately to the N.O. Nelson Campus. Additionally, as a precaution, we have transported all EHS students and teachers attending the PM session at the N.O. Nelson Lewis and Clark Community College campus back to EHS in response to the possible threat. I will provide an update after the threat has been resolved.

Respectfully,

Dr. Dennis Cramsey

Lewis and Clark Community College is keeping all of its campuses open today, but asks anyone who knows anything regarding that call Tuesday morning to contact the Madison County Sheriff's Office at (618) 692-4433. Anyone on campus who witnesses behavior they find to be suspicious is asked to contact Lewis and Clark Campus Security immediately at (618) 468-2300.

At this time no one is believed to be in any immediate physical danger, and the increased security and police presence is a matter of caution to ensure the safety and security of everyone on Lewis and Clark Community College campuses.Steven Spencer also contributed to this story.

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