Ka’u Learning Academy evacuated for the rest of the day

DISCOVERY HARBOR – A suspicious device found Wednesday evacuated a charter school in Kaʻū and led to the arrest of a 9-year-old boy.

Police issued this media release on Wednesday afternoon:

MEDIA RELEASE

At 10:15 a.m. police received a call reporting a “pipe bomb” found in the possession of a student at the Kaʻū Learning Academy on the 94-1500 block of Kalua Circle in Discovery Harbor. Responding officers learned that school officials had found the suspicious device in the backpack of a 9-year-old boy.

The boy was arrested on suspicion of possessing an explosive device and then released to a family member while police continue the investigation.

Police notified the FBI, the U.S. Army’s Explosive Ordinance Detail on Oahu, the Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Hawaiʻi County Fire Department.

The school was evacuated for the rest of the day.