A former custodian has entered a guilty plea to scrawling a message on a Warren County High School boys bathroom wall threatening to blow up the school.
The former custodian, Marlene Madewell, in a wheelchair at the time of her appearance before Circuit Court Judge Stanley, has entered a guilty plea to the charge of felony filing a false report. She was sentenced to three years but a hearing date was set for Aug. 10 to determine how those years will be served.
Madewell asked to be given a judicial diversion since she has no prior criminal record and had a long record of employment which included a dozen years at WCHS. A diversion means she could have her criminal record erased.
Madewell’s threat came last year, the day after Warren County High was evacuated and its students bused to the Civic Center for safety due to a bomb threat a student found scribbled on a boy’s bathroom wall. Nothing was found following a sweep by bomb dogs.
The high school was again evacuated the following day, although this time students remained on school grounds while bomb dogs did their sweep. Again, nothing was found.
However, even as the sweep was being conducted, lawmen began zeroing in on Madewell. She had been asked to look in a bathroom that morning for any writing and came back to say threats had been scrawled on two bathroom stalls.
Madewell confessed when confronted about the threats.She remains free on bond awaiting the decision on how she will serve the three years.