The teens, who cannot be identified because of their ages, triggered an earlymorning search of the North Vancouver facility May 5 when they posted a note on the front door claiming there was a bomb hidden inside, according to police. North Vancouver RCMP closed the school and called in a team of officers and a bomb-sniffing dog to scour the premises, while students and staff waited outside. When, after several hours, they turned up nothing, police allowed classes to resume.
The entire process was repeated again on May 20 when another note making the same claim appeared on the entrance to the school.
The Mounties' Youth Intervention Unit launched an investigation, and ultimately came up with two suspects. The force alleges the same two young men were responsible for both incidents.
Handsworth was closed for a third time May 27, this time for an entire day, when a note was found claiming a student was planning to bring a gun to school. Investigators have not connected that hoax with the two scares that preceded it, however.
The teens have been charged with mischief and conveying false messages. They're slated to appear in North Vancouver provincial court Nov. 28 and again June 27.
