Lynchburg College officials are reviewing their response to an incident early Saturday morning in which a young man, who was not an LC student, called 911 to say he was being held hostage on the LC campus.
The call turned out to be a hoax and police arrested David Tyler Johnson, 18, of Hayes, Va., and charged him with falsely summoning or giving false report to law enforcement, a Class 1 misdemeanor.
College officials met over the weekend and will continue to meet to discuss the College's crisis management plan, what worked well, and which areas need further refining.
The call prompted the use of the College's Early Alert Warning siren system. At 12:30 a.m., Lynchburg's Emergency Communications Center alerted the College that a 911 call had come from a person, claiming to be held hostage in Tate Hall.
Police evacuated Tate Hall and conducted a search but found no hostage or weapons. The "all clear" message was given to the entire campus shortly before 4 a.m.
"My compliments to all those who worked through the night to see this difficult situation through to a successful conclusion," said John Eccles, vice president and dean for Student Development. "The Early Alert System worked well, our students were very cooperative and helpful, the Lynchburg Police Department was highly responsive and professional in carrying out their duties, and most importantly, no one was injured. While it was a night of great inconvenience, we are gratified to know that our new Early Alert Warning system is in excellent working order, a comforting fact for us all."