Teen arrested for alleged threats at Arkansas High School
Texarkana AR Sept 30 2018
An Arkansas High School student is arrested for making threats to classmates during school hours.
The 17-year old is facing a felony charge of First Degree Terrorist Threatening.
Texarkana, Arkansas Police say since February they’ve investigated 14 reported threats of violence and made 5 arrests.
According to an arrest affidavit, a school security officer notified police Tuesday afternoon of a message received from a parent concerned that a student was threatening to shoot up the school.
Police say the alleged threats of violence toward students and the school district were made during an eighth-period class.
Threat Investigator Rick Cockrell spoke will several witnesses in the classroom who confirmed the threats, which included this statement in the affidavit, “Don’t come to school tomorrow, or you will all be ready to die.”
The police report states the teacher sent the student into the hallway, and sent an email to the principal explaining what had happened.
The 17-year old was arrested at his home around 10:30 p.m.
Police say any reported threat is handled very seriously.
“We’re going to continue to do that to make sure it’s either a credible threat and an arrest needs to be made, or if that individual needs a different type of resource such as mental health,” said Kristi Bennett, TAPD Spokesperson.
The police report also states the suspect’s mother told officers that she had a hunting rifle, and gave it to them to hold until the investigation was over.
Texarkana, Arkansas School District issued a statement about the incident on its Facebook page on Wednesday morning.
It states that administrators and their security team were made of the threats from several students and immediately removed him from class, which differs slightly from the police report that says a teacher sent the student into the hallway and emailed the principal.
The district also encouraged students to report suspicious behavior, if you see or hear anything, say something.
Arkansas School District Facebook:
Late Tuesday, several Arkansas High School students reported hearing a threat made by another student. The administrators and security team immediately located the student and removed him from the class. We appreciate the immediate report by students and actions taken by the teacher, administrators, and security. We must continue to work together to ensure the safety of our schools.
We take all threats of violence seriously and will continue to work to ensure a safe and secure environment. Parents, please continue to talk to your children and let them know how to reach out for help or to report suspicious behavior. If you see or hear something, say something.
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