HASTINGS, Mich. – The man named in a threat which resulted in the lockdown of multiple West Michigan schools Friday appeared in court on different charges Monday.
Someone called authorities anonymously Friday claiming Michael Bourdo was taking drugs and had said he was going to “shoot up a school.”
Michigan State Police said Monday they didn’t feel it was a credible threat. FOX 17 was told schools were operating normally again at the start of the week.
After that call came in however, police went to Bourdo’s home to talk to him and found drugs and weapons.
Bourdo is now facing six counts total, two for being a felon in possession of a firearm and four counts of possession of marijuana and meth and maintaining a meth lab.
He told the magistrate some of the items that were found by police did not belong to him.
Meanwhile, police say they are still trying to figure out who made the call, pointing them to Bourdo.
Some of his acquaintances who didn’t want to be identified said he would never have threatened a school and has a young son himself.
They feel someone may have wanted to get him in trouble.
They also said Bourdo had recently been involved in a custody battle involving his son. The youngster was removed during the arrest by Child Protective Services.
The caller prompted the lockdown of various schools in three counties including Barry County.
The superintendent of Delton Kellogg Public Schools said even if the threat wasn’t real, it was good practice for the schools to run their drills and debrief afterward.
Paul Blacken said it was a positive feeling knowing everyone did what they needed to do.
Hastings Public Schools did not go into full lockdown mode.
The superintendent said their school didn’t get the call from local police until around 9:00 am.
However, he says by that time, police told him Bourdo was already being questioned and they decided just to alert the buildings and increase their police presence.
The statement released from Superintendent Todd Geerlings is found below:
School Safety Update
Good Morning members of the Hastings Area School System community,
this is Superintendent Todd Geerlings. I want to pass on some information
regarding school safety that you may have heard about through the media. This
morning there was a report called into law enforcement about an alleged threat
concerning schools. Authorities immediately contacted schools in the vicinity of
the alleged suspect. Delton Kellogg, Plainwell, Wayland and Otsego schools were
notified and did go into some forms of lock down. Because Hastings Area Schools
was not in the immediate area we were notified later. By that time the suspect
had been located and we did not go into lock down. However, as a precaution, all
buildings have been alerted of the situation and local police will be more visible in
and around our schools today.
