Classes were canceled Wednesday at Southwest Wisconsin Technical College in Fennimore. School officials were tipped off about a possible threat to students and staff. "A student had received a call on her cell phone," said Southwest president, Karen Knox. "She reported it to her instructor this morning, and the instructor and the student came into the administration to report it." Knox said school administrators did not know who made the call, or whether the caller was a student at the school.
After learning of the threat, school officials issued all-staff and all-student emails and announced the campus closing on intercom. At the request of law enforcement, the precise nature of the incident was not revealed. Instead, school officials stated that there was a water main break near a campus building. According to Knox, Fennimore police felt the subterfuge was necessary in order to avoid panic and to facilitate making an arrest. Police have identified a suspect but say they have no information to release at this time. Campus officials will meet Thursday to discuss the incident.