LORAIN COUNTY, Ohio — A person dressed in a “Bigfoot” style costume on Wednesday caused school district officials in northeastern Ohio to issue a brief lockdown, authorities said.
Classes at the Firelands Local School District in Lorain County, west of Cleveland, were interrupted when the costumed sasquatch ran past classroom windows at a school in Henrietta Township, WKYC-TV reported.
Video of “Bigfoot” was posted on social media, with school officials telling WJW-TV that the person was dressed as a “menacing-looking Bigfoot.”
According to Firelands Superintendent Michael Von Gunten, the person in costume parked in one of the district’s lots, “crossed our campus and caused the district to enter into a lockdown,” WKYC reported. Von Gunten added that some elementary school students were outside and were quickly moved inside to safety.
Von Gunten told district parents and guardians in a letter that the person never gained entry into any school building, according to the television station.
“The school day was negatively impacted and although lockdown drills are practiced regularly, the situation caused understandable concern and disruption,” Von Gunten wrote. “While some people may make light of the situation, the fact remains that we cannot waver from the side of safety.
This individual induced panic on our campus and this type of behavior will not be tolerated.”
According to the Lorain County Sheriff’s Office, the person wearing the costume appeared to be a parent who came to the school property as part of a “prom prank,” WJW reported. Officials said the school’s resource officer pulled the person over as part of a traffic stop.
Capt. Daniel Ashdown with the sheriff’s office told the television station that a report will be sent to the Oberlin prosecutor to determine if charges will be filed.
Henrietta Township is about 40 miles west of Cleveland.
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