Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Belvidere Central Middle School student under investigation for making threats - News - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

Ben Stanley

Posted Oct. 19, 2015 at 3:40 PM
Updated Oct 19, 2015 at 8:04 PM

BELVIDERE — A middle school student has been "removed from school" and is being investigated by the Boone County Sheriff’s Department after making threats discovered Friday by school officials.
“They found no weapons and no ability to carry out any threat,” State’s Attorney Michelle Courier said. “There was a search at the home and the school as well. It’s still an open investigation.”
Belvidere School District did not clarify whether the student had been expelled or temporarily suspended. Belvidere Central Middle School officials contacted the Sheriff's Department at 12:30 p.m. Oct. 16.
"School officials had brought some writings that concerned them from a student to our school resource officer, which began an investigation," Sheriff Dave Ernest said. "We take these cases very seriously, that’s why this investigation is ongoing."
Few details about the threats have been made public because the student is a juvenile.
"We are working with the Sheriff’s Department on possible charges," Courier said. "However, there was no evidence that students were in danger."
District spokeswoman Shannon Hansen said parents of kids enrolled at Belvidere Middle School were sent the following message by phone and email Friday night:
"As a parent of a Belvidere Central Middle School student, we want you to be aware of something that occurred. This afternoon we were notified of a possible threat made by a student. The student has been removed from school, at no time were classmates or staff members in danger, and the situation is being investigated by the Boone County Police Department and the State's Attorney's Office. The safety of your child is our first priority, and we encourage parents and students to share information with administrators at any time the safety of an individual could be in jeopardy."
Ben Stanley: 815-987-1369; bstanley@rrstar.com; @ben_j_stanley

Ben Stanley

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