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'Suspicious' Bag Scare Near Davie High, Middle Schools

DAVIE (CBSMiami) - A middle school and high school in Davie were temporarily evacuated Monday morning so police could check out a 'suspicious' item.

"I stood there with one of my teachers and we were watching the bomb squad carry some bag, it was like a robot with an arm, and then he shook it around and then he left," said Ashley Smith.

Students at Nova High School and Nova Middle School, both in the 3600 block of College Avenue, were evacuated to nearby Broward College around 8:30 a.m. as a precaution after backpack was found in some bushes in a parking lot.

"It's kinda cool but scary at the same time," said Madison Pena. "Because you don't know what's going on."

Arriving buses to the two schools were also diverted to Broward College.

Annette Smith said she received a text message from the school district and then a phone call from her son, who was on a school bus, who said there might be a bomb at the the school.

"When he called and said I should come and get him I thought well this is serious, I've gotta go," said Smith.

Asked if she was scared, Smith replied, "Of course, it's a bomb. They should have just taken them back to their respective stops."

Davie police sealed off the area and robot was sent in to check out the bag. A Broward Sheriff's bomb squad member then took a portable x-ray of the bag in an effort to determine its contents. After viewing the x-ray, the bomb squad determined the contents of the bag were harmless and gave the all clear just before 10 a.m.

They then learned that a student at the school had forgotten her backpack at home and had called her brother for help.

"Our investigation has revealed a student from Broward College dropped his sisters backpack off, took a picture of the location where he dropped the backpack off and texted it to his sister," said Davie police Captain Dale Engle.

So where did he leave it? Police say in some hedges near the schools. Someone saw him taking the picture of the bag in the bushes and reported it. School officials thought it was suspicious and called the police.

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