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Albert Lea police say a man called in a bomb threat at Lakeview Elementary School Thursday morning to lead authorities away as they surrounded his house on an unrelated matter.

Police had tried to apprehend Anthony Jerome Woodraska, 33, of Walters, about 35 minutes before the bomb threat was made on theft charges and a warrant from another county.

A press release stated police had determined Woodraska was in a residence in the 800 block of South Third Avenue and had gone to the house at about 10:41 a.m.

Woodraska reportedly barricaded himself in the residence and was refusing officers’ requests to come out of the house.

As officers continued to negotiate with Woodraska, the Lakeview Elementary School office received a call at 11:15 a.m. of a bomb in the building.

Staff and students were immediately evacuated down the hill west of the school to Abbott Field, as police investigated the threat.

About 10 minutes later, negotiations with Woodraska were successful, and he was taken into custody.

He soon after admitted that he called in the bomb threat in hopes that police would leave, the release stated.

Students and staff remaining at the school went back inside the building after given the all-clear from authorities.

Woodraska was taken to the Freeborn County jail and booked in on the warrant and charges related to the theft and bomb threat.

The Albert Lea Police Department was assisted by Albert Lea Fire Rescue and the Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office.

Check back to www.albertleatribune.com as more information becomes available.