NATCHEZ – Two Natchez boys, ages 10 and 12, were turned in to police Friday night by their parents for allegedly calling in a bomb threat to Robert Lewis Middle School Thursday morning.

The threat, which turned out to be false, was called in to the school’s office at about 11 a.m. During the call, &uot;a young male voice said a bomb was set to go off in the (main) building in a few minutes,&uot; said Police Chief Willie Huff.

The school’s secretary notified the principal and called Natchez police, who responded to the scene along with the Natchez Fire Department and the Adams County Sheriff’s Office and Civil Defense Office.

Students, faculty and staff were evacuated and stayed away from the buildings for about 40 minutes while authorities searched the school. No suspicious packages were found, Huff said.

The boys were arrested and charged with making a false report of placement of an explosive and were released back to their parents.

The 10-year-old boy had stayed home from school Thursday because he was sick, and the 12-year-old – who did not get up in time to catch a ride to school – went over to the 10-year-old’s house that day.

&uot;They both live in the same apartment complex,&uot; said Huff, who would not name the complex. &uot;The 10-year-old’s mother had gone to the store for a few minutes, and that’s when the call was placed.&uot;

Police are not yet sure which child actually placed the call, &uot;but they’ve said they both planned it and wanted to do it, so they acted in concert,&uot; Huff said.

The boys are not being charged as adults, and the case has been turned over to Adams County Youth Court, Huff said.

In October, bomb threats were called in to Natchez High School and Copiah-Lincoln Community College, but no arrests have yet been made in connection with those cases.