GRAY – A reference to a bomb made this morning by a Gray-New Gloucester Middle School student led the police to search the bus and ultimately summons a student for making a false alarm.

At around 7:30 a.m., the student, whose identity is being withheld because the student is a juvenile, allegedly made reference to a bomb being placed on a school bus in Gray, according to Capt. Jeff Davis of the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office.

Police notified the operator of the bus, which was in the area of Route 202 and Lawrence Road in Gray. The bus was evacuated. The student who made the claim was not on the bus at the time of the threat, Davis said.

Deputies from the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office responded to the incident and closed off the immediate area, Davis said. A Bomb Detection K-9 unit from the Portland Police Department responded to the scene and searched the bus and immediate area for any explosive devices, finding none. The area of Route 202 and Lawrence Road was shut down for around one hour during the incident, according to Davis.

The student was summonsed on the charge of a false public alarm or report and released to a guardian pending prosecution.