Suspect taken into custody after threat, hold at Belton Middle School

BELTON, Mo. — Administrators at the Belton School District say they were made aware of a threat on Friday morning, leading to a brief hold at Belton Middle School.

The district says officials were made aware by police of the potential threat around 9 a.m. Friday. A building hold was implemented as a security measure but has since been lifted. The district also says a suspect is in custody.

Some parents and relatives told FOX4 that they had received a text they hadn’t expected from their students inside Belton Middle School.

“Well, he texted me asking to see if I can come get him and I didn’t realize what was going on,” Floyd Drummond, who was picking up his nephew, said.

“My daughter sent a text message to us as a family group and just said I love you all…” parent Sarah Meakins said.

Belton police received word about the threat from the National Crisis Center. At that point, officers alerted the middle school.

Belton schools sent an email to parents saying an alleged perpetrator was in custody following the investigation and that no weapons were found, and the kids were safe.

Still, many like Drummond showed up to pick up their student.

“It hurts a lot just seeing all the kids reunite with their families and their reactions to it,” he said.

While others like Meakins showed up to comfort and reassure their child that they were safe.

“I trust in my school district. I trust in my city law enforcement officials. I trust in the administration and the educators here at Belton Middle School,” she explained.

Officials have not released information about who they have in custody nor the context of the threat. Parents we spoke with say they’re thankful everyone is okay and that quick action was taken.

Friday’s threat in Belton is just one of many school threats that have been investigated across the metro over the last week.

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