Nearby robbery causes SMS, GLEAMNS lockdown

UPDATE: According to the Sanders Middle School Facebook page, the lockdown has been reinstated and will be in effect until law enforcement gives the all clear for students to be dismissed.

Sanders Middle School and the GLEAMNS Prep Academy were both placed on lockdown for about an hour Thursday afternoon following an off-campus incident. The lockdown ended around 2:15 p.m.

Laurens Police Chief Chrissie Lattimore said two robbery suspects fled to an area near the campuses, causing the lockdown as a precaution. The two suspects were not immediately apprehended, but SLED bloodhound units have been called in, she said.

An armed robbery on Park Place caused the lockdown. Two men broke into a home there and robbed the occupant at gunpoint before fleeing toward the campuses.