A Michigan middle school teacher was arrested Friday after allegedly leaving handwritten notes that contained threatening messages in faculty areas of the school.
The Detroit Free Press reported that an unidentified female teacher “was placed on administrative leave and arrested Friday after district officials said she placed inappropriate, hand-written notes, including a threat against the school, in teacher work areas.”
The teacher has not been charged yet, but was reportedly discovered to have left the messages after school officials reviewed surveillance footage.
“One of the notes appeared to be an attempt at making a false threat in the hope of closing school,” Lakeview Public Schools Superintendent Karl Paulson wrote in a letter to the community. “Based on the facts, information and timeline, the team was confident everyone was safe, and there was no need for initiating any lockdown or other safety protocols.”
Paulson added that he is “extremely” disappointed in the teacher and that the school district takes any “potential disruption” seriously.
Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido told another outlet that he has questions about the teacher’s motives and that the investigation is ongoing.
“This doesn’t reflect on all teachers; it’s only one teacher — but don’t we have enough problems in schools right now?” Lucido said.
Lucido also said the teacher could be charged with multiple crimes.
“Of course, she’s innocent until proven guilty, and all of this will come out in court. But this doesn’t help with everything that’s been going on recently,” he said. “If you’ve got teachers making threats, how safe do you think the parents are going to think that school is?”
The arrest comes just weeks after an Oxford High School student shot and killed four students and injured several others.
The Daily Wire reported:
The suspect, who used a semi-automatic handgun, was identified by officials as a 15-year-old sophomore.
“Deputies immediately responded and took the suspect into custody within five minutes of the original 911 call,” Undersheriff Michael McCabe told reporters.
The parents of the suspected shooter were arrested and charged with involuntary manslaughter because they allegedly made the gun used in the school shooting available to the suspect. The Daily Wire reported:
The suspect, a 15-year-old white male that The Daily Wire is not naming due to company policy about not giving notoriety to alleged mass murderers, is being charged as an adult with two dozen crimes, including murder, attempted murder, and terrorism for the attack this week Oxford High School in Oakland County.
Four students were killed after the suspect opened fire using a handgun that was recently purchased by the suspect’s father.
“The parents were the only individuals in the position to know the access to weapons,” Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald said Thursday. The gun “seems to have been just freely available to that individual.”
The parents were arrested after leaving town, which their attorney said was “for their own safety” and not them fleeing authorities.
“The [couple] left town on the night of the tragic shooting for their own safety,” the couple’s attorneys told the Free Press. “On Thursday night we contacted the Oakland County prosecutor to discuss this matter and to advise her that [the couple] would be turning themselves in to be arraigned. Instead of communicating with us, the prosecutor held a press conference to announce charges.