High school truant prompts school lockdown

A high school student skipping school today prompted a lockdown at Riverside high, middle and elementary schools in Chattaroy. Shortly before 11:45 a.m., the high school principal received a call from a nearby resident that a teenage boy was heading toward the school with a rifle, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office said. The missing teen was found later in the afternoon, according to a news release. He planned to meet with a friend this afternoon, and took along a sword and a couple knives, which police said he tried to hide in his backpack. The sword, however, stuck out of the bag, and the reporting witness mistook it for a rifle, police said. The 16-year-old was interviewed by police and was released with no charges.