A person believed to be responsible for making violent threats against East St. Louis High School Wednesday has been arrested and is being held by police, according to a District 189 official.
The St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department confirmed Thursday that the suspect is a juvenile.
East St. Louis Senior High School was one of several across St. Louis and the metro-east to be placed on lockdown after threats were made via social media. Superintendent Arthur Culver notified parents and staff at the high school and Mason-Clark Middle School that a person had been arrested on suspicion of making the threats.
“In response to recent threats, law enforcement in collaboration with the FBI, conducted a thorough search at East St.. Louis Senior High School and Mason Clark Middle School Wednesday afternoon, using K9 units trained to detect weapons and explosives,” the message stated.
“We are pleased to report that no weapons or contraband were found. Additionally, a suspect believed to be responsible for the online social media threats has been apprehended and is currently in custody.
“Please rest assured we are continuing to work closely with law enforcement to ensure the safety and security of our students and staff.”
No evidence was discovered to make investigators believe the threats were credible, according to the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department.
According to a release from the sheriff’s department, the threat originated on social media and was spread by users taking screen shots and sharing the post.
“It is never acceptable for anyone to screenshot and re share these messages for post,” said sheriff’s department Sgt. James Hendricks. “It is crucial fr anyone who observes any concerning information to contact their local police agency to immediately report their concerns.
“Any images captured from a concerning post should only be shared with law enforcement agencies and should not be re-circulated online via text message or through social media platforms.”
Culver thanked law enforcement for their work and students and staff “for their patience and understanding.
”We look forward to welcoming our students back to school tomorrow,” he wrote.
The high school went into lockdown after district officials were alerted to a social media post threatening violence, according to an earlier message sent by Culver to all district families and staff. The district also worked with law enforcement to ensure the safety of students and staff while school continued, Culver’s statement reads.
Later in the day, the district saw another threatening social media post naming the high school as well as Mason-Clark and Lincoln middle schools.
Because of the existing lockdown at the high school, “security and staff at the middle schools were already on heightened alert, which allowed for a swift and prepared response,” Culver wrote.
At about 1:30 p.m., the district received a report of a “suspicious individual” near two campuses, which prompted immediate lockdowns and Mason-Clark Middle School and East St. Louis Senior High School, according to the statement.
Culver asked parents to refrain from attempting to pick up students during a lockdown to ensure law enforcement can secure the perimeter of an affected school and keep the school safe from external threats.
Law enforcement determined the allegation was unfounded and issued the all-clear at about 1:45 p.m. But there was a large presence of police officers at the high school at about 4 p.m.
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville’s Wyvetter Younge Higher Education Campus in East St. Louis was also locked down Wednesday morning after university police received information of a possible threat, according to an emergency alert.
An additional alert issued at 11:15 a.m. said that police determined the threat was not specific to the campus and that the lockdown was lifted. Cahokia High School was also in a lockdown Wednesday.
School districts across the St. Louis region and the nation have dealt with online threats since Sept. 4 when two students and two teachers were killed in a school shooting in Georgia.
In a news release Wednesday afternoon, the FBI field office in Springfield stressed the consequences of making hoax threats against a school or other public space amid an uptick in recent months.
“Hoax threats can have devastating consequences, both for the public and the perpetrators,” the release states. They also have a larger societal cost as local law enforcement agencies’ limited resources are diverted, it adds.
St. Clair County Sheriff Rick Watson lamented the trend toward making threats against schools and the trouble it causes for other students, faculty and law enforcement.
“It is a sad day when kids can’t go to school,” he said. “School is supposed to be a safe place. Society has turned it into a target and that is wrong”.
Anyone caught posting gun violence threats will face prosecution, he said.
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