HORACE LANGFORD JR. / PVT School administrator Linda Reid looks out the door as a Nye County Sheriff's Office deputy in full gear steps out of the school office after reports of a gunman were called in. No shooter was located, and sheriff's deputies believe the whole incident was a prank. HORACE LANGFORD JR. / PVT Deputies John Kakavulous and Mike Horn check out the bed of a pickup truck in the Manse Elementary School parking lot. Advertisement

Manse Elementary School was temporarily put into lockdown mode -- everyone inside the buildings was kept there -- just before noon yesterday while the grounds were exhaustively searched by the Nye County Sheriff's Office after it received what is believed to be a crank call reporting a person shooting at the school.

"We believe it was a crank call, but we do not treat it as one," Assistant Sheriff Rick Marshall explained. Both the school district and the sheriff's office immediately activated their "active shooter response plan," a set procedure for both school officials and deputies that is practiced in regular drills throughout the year.

Officers were on the scene within 90 seconds and the school buildings and grounds were immediately searched for a weapon, shooter, and even explosives using K-9 units.

A "code red" for the sheriff's office was effected, meaning that all radio traffic but that pertaining to the ongoing incident was blocked.

"That way we don't have any other calls, such as an officer calling in a traffic stop, clogging up dispatch," Marshall explained.

Every inch of the school, located on West and Wilson Streets across from the Nye County School District offices, was searched.

The Pahrump Community Church, across Wilson Street, was also searched.

"The vehicles, the buildings, we looked for anywhere something could be hidden," Marshall said. "That could be a trash can, that could be a motor vehicle, it could be a closet."

The sheriff's office was able to respond with additional officers due to a training class being in session at the time the call was received.

"That means our SWAT officers and other officers were already in the area and did not have to be called to come in from home," Marshall explained.

The call, which Marshall said came from a male with the phone number blocked, is believed to be a prank partially due to a lack of any other reports of shots being heard from the area.

"No suspicious activity was reported from anyone we've interviewed," Marshall said, adding that included school administrators and students.

Should the caller be found, Marshall said criminal charges could be pressed, possibly including false reporting of a crime.

Once the sheriff's office had completed their initial investigation and found nothing, Superintendent Rob Roberts lifted the lockdown and school continued.