Three Ephrata schools were placed on alert Monday morning after reports of a suspicious person.
The Ephrata Police Department says Ephrata Middle School, Columbia Ridge Elementary, and Tiger Cub Preschool all went into “secure the building” mode at around 11 a.m.
Police Chief Erik Koch says a local resident made the report at Ephrata City Hall after seeing someone wearing a ski mask and carrying what appeared to be a bag with the barrel of rifle poking out in the area of the three schools.
Officers responded to the location where the suspicious person was seen but found no one matching their description, and the heightened security measures were lifted after approximately ten minutes.