Canines search school, no drugs found

Students and staff members went into lock-down at the Waterville-Elysian-Morristown School building in Waterville, Tuesday morning, December 19, for an unannounced, yet routine search of the school property by drug-sniffing canines. Nothing was found in the 10-minute search, according to WEM Superintendent Joel Whitehurst. "This is something we do annually," Whitehurst explained. "It's one way we can help ensure the health and wellness of our students.
Finding nothing is good news." School Resource Officer Andrew Hallberg helped coordinate the canine search and is also pleased with how things went. “I was present for the search and am not surprised that no drugs were found on school property. The result of this search is a testament to our drug prevention efforts and the fine job done by our school staff and administrators in keeping our kids on the right path,” Hallberg stated. The canine teams were all from Rice County.
They consisted of Rice County deputies, Faribault police officers, and Minnesota Department of Corrections officers. “All the teams work for their perspective agencies, however, they all train together with their K9 teams,” Hallberg explained.