Springfield High student arrested after threat to Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut
A Springfield High School student was arrested Thursday after authorities said he threatened a shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.
In a joint statement with Sangamon County State's Attorney Dan Wright and Springfield Public Schools District 186, Springfield Police said they were informed by officials in Newtown, Connecticut, about a threat called in late Wednesday afternoon to commit a shooting at the elementary school. Sandy Hook was the site of a mass school shooting in 2012 in which a 20-year-old man killed 26 people, including 20 schoolchildren.
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Springfield Police and Newtown Police identified the suspect as a 14-year-old ninth-grade student at SHS.
Springfield Police Chief Ken Scarlette said Newtown Police contacted SPD at 10:50 a.m. Thursday. "We took swift action (upon being contacted)," he said.
The student, who was not named, was detained at SHS for questioning, and taken to police headquarters downtown where he was arrested, Scarlette said.
The student was then released to the custody of the Sangamon County Juvenile Detention Center Thursday afternoon. The student was awaiting a psychiatric evaluation and risk assessment.
The student was scheduled for a 1:30 p.m. detention hearing Friday in juvenile court.
Police determined the teen did not have the means to carry out the threat and believe he acted alone.
A call to a sergeant at the Newtown Police was not returned to The State Journal-Register.
"It’s an unspeakable, unspeakable act," said District 186 school superintendent Jennifer Gill. "My outrage for these types of events is only growing stronger. My heart goes out to anybody who’s been affected by school violence.
"It’s an absolutely devastating thought the idea that this continues. Nothing is more important to me than the safety of my students, my staff and the families that I serve."
The student, Gill said, was not in attendance at SHS Wednesday but was at school Thursday.
Scarlette confirmed the student was home sick on Wednesday when the call was placed.
Gill said there was never a threat to SHS students, staff members, or school property. Parents were notified of the incident via email Thursday.
"Our district got no wind of this until the police department approached us after its investigation," Gill added.
An optional staff meeting was held at SHS after school Thursday.
The student faces charges of disorderly conduct, with a possible sentence of one to three years in juvenile detention, if convicted, said Sangamon County state's attorney Dan Wright.
“This case and any other threats of violence directed against a school will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Period," Wright said. "The only appropriate response to crimes involving school threats is zero tolerance and thorough consideration of all available mental health services our community can provide."
Scarlette said he sent an email to Newtown Police Chief David M. Kullgren expressing the fact that "Springfield Police Department doesn't tolerate incidents such as this as I know his community doesn't either. We ultimately have the same desire to keep our communities safe."
Reporter Steven Spearie contributed to this story. Contact Zach Roth: (217) 899-4338; ZDRoth@gannett.com; @ZacharyRoth13
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Illinois high school student arrested after threat to Sandy Hook in CT
