A pair of gardeners put a Pitt County school on guard Wednesday.

Officials locked down Eastern Elementary School Wednesday morning after students reported seeing a man lingering around the treeline behind the school playground with what looked like a rifle.

Greg Eans/The Daily Reflector (ENLARGE)

Greenville officials investigate the scene Wednesday at Eastern Elementary School while the school was in lockdown mode.

After investigating, officers with the Greenville Police Department concluded the students had actually seen a pair of residents with lawn tools working in their yard behind the school.

"What we have found is there was absolutely no threat to anyone here," said Lt. Earl Phipps of the Greenville Police Department.

More than 20 police officers investigated the incident. Their probe closed traffic through three intersections around the Cedar Lane school and drew some parents seeking information about their children. By 12:20 p.m., classes had resumed as usual at Eastern.

Phipps praised school administrators for acting decisively.

"The school system has an excellent lockdown procedure," he said. "Once they realized that there was the potential for anything going on here, they immediately locked it down, just as a precautionary measure."

The Eastern incident came less than two weeks after a lockdown at J.H. Rose High School. On May 3, gunfire a mile away from J.H. Rose led officials to secure the school. The gunshots, aimed at an empty parked car, also forced security measures at South Greenville Elementary School.

In a separate event Wednesday, Greenville Fire-Rescue responded to a fire alarm at Rose that caused students to exit buildings.

Firefighters traced a smoky smell to a malfunctioning air conditioning unit in the school gymnasium.

Jimmy Ryals can be contacted at jryals@coxnc.com and 329-9568.