Update 1:16 p.m.: School cleared in suspicious person search; authorities continue to look for man dressed in black

Staff Reports
March 27, 2008, 1:16 PM

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Douglas County sheriff’s officers reported that Zephyr Cove Elementary School was all-clear today about an hour after an aide reported seeing a man dressed in black carrying a rifle near the school.

The elementary school and nearby Whittell High School were placed on lockdown after the call came in at 11:30 a.m. Authorities found fresh footprints in the snow near the school.

Officers also were sent to Kingsbury Middle School for a safety check.

Fifteen members of the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office responded to the schools and were joined by canine units and three FBI agents in the search.

Responding sheriff’s personnel included members of the patrol, investigations and jail divisions, Special Weapons and Tactics team members and Sheriff Ron Pierini.

The area was cordoned off and searched; including Zephyr Cove Elementary School and nearby Whittell High School. No suspicious persons or weapons have been located. The search is still continuing.

Sheriff’s spokesman Sgt. Jim Halsey said any parents showing up at the schools are being directed to Zephyr Cove Park until the campuses have been cleared.

A school officials said students and teachers responded to the lockdown in an orderly fashion and the situation was calm inside the classroom.