Everybody is talking about the Bomb Threat at Shelby High School!! Was the bomb threat real or a hoax??? Or even a Political Stunt???

First, the facts:

Today is Friday, February 9, 2024
The next School Board meeting is this coming Monday, February 12, 2024

And, after that, everything about the mysterious “Bomb Threat” at Shelby High School today is murky at best. Read on for Robert A’s blow by blow account of the facts and rumors…

Robert A’s first call this morning about the Bomb Threat at Shelby High School was at 9:21 AM. A trusted source reported that some kind of “emergency” was going on at Shelby High School. That Firetrucks, Police and perhaps other emergency vehicles were on the scene. That the school kids had been evacuated from the SHS buildings and NOBODY was being allowed back into the SHS Buildings until further notice. That nobody in an official capacity was talking and that Robert A might want to check this out. It has been Robert A’s experience that when Nobody is talking is when Robert A most often “smells a rat.” This seems to be turning out that Robert A was 1,000% correct, to once again, smell a rat. And time to look into the situation. If only to confirm or not that there was an actual emergency at SHS.

So, Robert A googles Shelby High School and gets their telephone number. Then Robert A calls the number and the phone rings and rings and rings. Finally, an answering machine picks up with confirmation that this was indeed the correct number for SHS. It also confirmed that nobody was in that office to answer the phone. Which seemed to confirm that something bad was going on and everybody had been evacuated.

Next, Robert A calls the CCS Central Offices, and picks the number for the Superintendent. The Superintendent’s secretary picks up and Robert A explains that he was trying to confirm whether or not there was an emergency at Shelby High School. The Secretary stated that she didn’t have that information and patched Robert A through to the CCS Communications Director. That call also went to a machine that stated the person was not presently available and asked for a message. And, before Robert A could say a word, the machine states that the “inbox was full” and no message could be left.” Robert A, used to be given the run-around at CCS, began to worry about how the parents of the students at SHS would be notified that an emergency at SHS was in progress.

Then, Robert A calls the Shelby Police Department and asks them to confirm whether or not an emergency was taking place at Shelby High School. The answer was that SPD was very busy and to call the Sheriff’s Office. Robert A was patched through to the SPD Chief Brad Fraser, and left a message.

Then Robert A calls The Sheriff’s Department and is sent back to the Shelby Police Department’s “Communications.”

The SPD Communications refuses to comment, but says they were in the process of putting together a “Press Release.” Robert A asks to be put on the distribution for that Press Release and gives his email address. No press release was ever received by Robert A, although later Robert A sees an article from the Shelby Star regarding a Bomb Threat at Shelby High School. A check on local TV news stations showed no news being covered about anything in Shelby, NC.

By this time Robert A knew damned well that he was getting the runaround treatment from “ALL” and that ALL wanted the Shelby Star to break the news. Knowing full well that the Shelby Star would print the news release “as is” and without question. And ALL knew that Robert A would ask questions that “ALL might not want to have to answer. Especially since “All” had to know that Robert A had already “smelled a big stinky rat” way back in that runaround process.

Also, between the runaround episodes, Robert A was receiving calls from Facebook users that had much more information. Directly from the kids evacuated from the SHS buildings who made calls home on their very own cell phones.

The kids reported to their parents that a “bomb threat” had been received at Shelby High School that a bomb was set to explode at 10:28 AM, that they were evacuated from the School buildings and for the parents to please hurry and pick them up. Of course, the parents panicked and flocked to Shelby High School in droves to pick up their kids. Creating a major traffic jam at Shelby High School in the process.

It is presently believed that no child, parent, teachers, first responders, Shelby PD officers or anybody else was injured in this gigantic episode at Shelby High School.

However, between the children’s cell phones, Facebook entries, the “Nobody” officially talking fiasco, various versions of reality began to coalesce and spread like wildfire. Some of the accounts Robert A received are listed as follows:

A real bomb or explosive device had been found at Shelby High School
No bomb was found at Shelby High School
Anything else in between

Then the conspiracy thinker type evaluations begin in earnest. All seeming plausible since the CCS School Board’s Robert Queen majority candidates, by all accounts are set to be defeated in the 2024 Republican Primary Elections and the necessary firing of CCS Superintendent Stephen Fisher for just cause will be mandatory.

The following scenario being talked about by citizens was relayed to Robert A. Once Robert A got over his initial thought that such dastardly deeds being impossible to happen here in Cleveland County and considered all the previous dirty deeds pulled off by the Rogue Republicans on the School Board and the CCGOP, it became obvious that the following scenario likely may be very near the truth of the matter. It goes like this:

The Rogue Republican contingency of the CCGOP (Dennis Bailey, Robert Queen, Joel Shores, Ron Humphries, Rodney Fitch, Greg Taylor, Sherri Yocum and others fully and truly believe that these School Board incumbent Republicans will be soundly defeated in the 2024 Republican Primary Elections. And drastic steps have to be taken to prevent the Robert Queen dynasty on the CCS School Board from being totally defeated. And the ends justify the means.
A secret planned scheme was concocted for some Rogue Republican to devise a plan to call in a false bomb threat into Shelby High School in such a way as to maximize not getting caught in the process. Joel Shores, a former high-ranking member of the CC Sheriff’s Office is the prime suspect by several accounts in this scenario. RobertA’s observations of Joel Shores at CCS School Board meetings indicated to Robert A that such actions are not only possible, but probable.
Once the call was placed, CCS Chairman Robert Queen (himself a Fireman), Joel Shores, CCS Superintendent Stephen Fisher and perhaps other Rogue Republicans, would quickly arrive on the scene (perhaps with cameras rolling) in a heroic scene in order to declare themselves the heroes that saved Shelby High School. Basically, a Political Publicity Stunt pulled off for the ultimate purpose of keeping Robert Queen and his band in the majority on the CC School Board for another four years.
The final scene of this scenario, as some parents and others are thinking and talking about, will happen at the February 12, 2024 School Board meeting in the form of play acting a scene where Queen, Shores, and others falsely claim that they were responsible for such a great display of leadership capability that saved the day for Shelby High School. Which plays up their standing as CCS School Board members to voters and therefore THEY should be reelected. And to keep Superintendent Fisher in his position for another four years in the process!!

So, folks, these facts remain:

There was, in fact, a bomb threat that targeted Shelby High School on February 9, 2024, causing much concern and speculation.
There is an ongoing investigation by law enforcement of this bomb threat that may or may not ever find a perpetrator.
The public and parental speculation described in this article may or may not ever be proven true or proven false for that matter.

Therefore, the present conclusion in regard to this particular bomb threat at SHS is the perpetrator(s) are unknown and will possibly will NEVER be found out. Therefore, Robert A says, folks, YOUR guess is just as good as MY guess. And each and every one of OUR guesses are just as good as the conspiracy theory that is being talked about in this article and out and about among the gossip amongst the citizens of Cleveland County. WE will just have to wait and see what comes out at the February 12, 2024 CCS School Board meeting and go from there.

Hopefully Cleveland County law enforcement agencies will soon bring this issue to a close. With criminal charges brought against the perpetrators and a vigorous prosecution and conviction by the Cleveland County’s District Attorney’s Office and a fair jury trial. Until this happens, Robert A recommends voters continue the democratic process of selecting and electing FIVE completely new School Board members in the 2024 Republican Primary School Board elections. Even the most remote thought that some or all of the School Board incumbents running for re-election might have some part of a Political Publicity-Stunt such as some believe, is grounds for throwing this crowd out of office.

Anyway, that is Robert A’s conclusions and belief, based upon the facts presently at hand.