A plastic bottle with foul-smelling contents that was found in a men's bathroom at Swartz Creek High School two weeks ago prompted an evacuation and a visit by the bomb squad. But lab results show that the bottle contained spoiled milk.
The bottle had been sitting in a student's locker and was left on the ledge in the bathroom, The Flint Journal reported Tuesday. It was found Oct. 9 and officials initially said they believed it contained a mix of household chemicals.
"It looks like it was chocolate milk, old, spoiled and under pressure," Superintendent Jeff Pratt said.
Pressure from the spoiled milk apparently caused the bottle to expand, making it look more suspicious. Pratt said school officials erred on the side of caution, noting that possible threats can't be taken for granted.
"Two police officers and three members of the bomb squad refused to go near it or touch it, and that was good enough for me," Pratt said.
Students were evacuated to the football field and later dismissed. It turns out a student had cleaned out his girlfriend's locker, found the bottle and accidentally left in the bathroom, the newspaper said.
Swartz Creek Police Chief Rick Clolinger said the milk was inside a clear, nearly 16-ounce water bottle.
"I know that after the fact it makes us look on the silly side, that we sent kids home because of spoiled milk on the shelf," Clolinger said. "But all of the right decisions were made."