Arkansas college investigating cause of false 'active shooter' alert

POCAHONTAS — Officials at a northeast Arkansas technical college say an "active shooter" alert Thursday turned out to be a false alarm.

Officials with Black River Technical College say they're still investigating why the alert was sent out Thursday via a panic button application. Karen Liebhaber, the school's vice president for institutional advancement, says anyone subscribed to the panic button system can send out an alert, and the school is still investigating who is responsible for sending it.

The school's campuses in Paragould and Pocahontas were placed on lockdown as authorities made a "cautionary sweep." The lockdown was lifted Thursday afternoon.

In January, the school sent out an active shooter alert after someone heard popping balloons and thought it was gunfire.

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