On Saturday, authorities in Oakland County, Michigan, announced that the parents of the suspected school shooter at Oxford High School this past week have been arrested for involuntary manslaughter and are being held in prison on a bond of $500,000 each. The two were found early Saturday morning after what is being described as an hours-long manhunt.
On Friday, The Daily Wire reported that the parents involved in the case went missing after the county’s prosecutor announced charges were filed against the pair for their alleged negligence that led to a school shooting, which left four dead.
An attorney for the couple — whose names are being withheld due to company policy — denied that they were trying to evade authorities:
The parents of a 15-year-old boy suspected of killing four and wounding seven in a school shooting in Oakland County, Michigan, are returning to face charges themselves of involuntary manslaughter.
The parents were suspected of evading authorities after police launched a manhunt and issued a BOLO, or be-on-the-lookout, alert for the couple’s black SUV on Friday. Authorities issued the alert after the county prosecutor charged each parent with four counts of involuntary manslaughter and Judge Julie Nicholson approved a warrant for their arrest.
The couple was set to be arraigned on Friday afternoon, and their attorneys had previously said that the couple had promised to appear in court and would not flee. The couple’s attorneys later said that they had lost contact with the couple, according to police.
The couple’s legal team released a statement on Friday afternoon saying that the couple was not missing, however, and had left town over concerns for their own safety in the wake of the shooting and charges brought against their son. The couple is traveling back to Oxford, Michigan, for their arraignment.
Yet, MLive.com reported that the couple did not turn themselves voluntarily. Police only discovered their whereabouts after “the U.S. Marshals Service announced a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the [couples’ arrest].”
“The manhunt ended early Saturday morning when a Detroit business owner called 911 to report seeing the [parents’] black 2012 Kia Seltos SUV in his parking lot on Bellevue Street near East Jefferson Avenue, Oakland County Undersheriff Mike McCabe said,” the Michigan media outlet reported.
“This isn’t indicative of turning yourself in, hiding in a warehouse,” Detroit Police Chief James White told Fox News on Saturday morning after arresting the couple.
On Saturday morning, Fox News reported the couple officially pled not guilty after being taken into custody:
The parents of Michigan school shooting suspect [redacted] each pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter charges Saturday morning after being taken into custody in Saturday’s predawn hours.
[The parents] were apprehended after an extensive manhunt for the couple, who had failed to appear for their arraignment Friday. The couple each face four counts of involuntary manslaughter in connection to Tuesday’s tragedy at Oxford High School for refusing to take their son out of school after staff said he exhibited warning signs of violence and needed counseling, according to authorities.
Each count is punishable by up to 15 years in prison and/or a $7,500 fine.
Oakland County District Judge Julie Nicholson ordered that the [the parents] be held on $500,000 bond each, citing a concern about a “flight risk.”
[The mother] could be heard and seen weeping as the judge read the charges against her and she entered her not guilty plea.
Shannon Smith — an attorney for the couple — again reiterated to the court that her clients were going to turn themselves in after Oakland Country Prosecutor Karen McDonald recounted their suspicious behavior, including withdrawing $4,000 from the bank Friday morning:
“They were scared, they were terrified,” Smith said. “They were figuring out what to do, getting finances in order. Unlike the prosecution, we weren’t attempting to make this a media spectacle. This case is absolutely the saddest, most tragic, worst case imaginable. There is absolutely no doubt. But our clients were absolutely going to turn themselves in. It was just a matter of logistics.”