School secured Officials track down rumor of threat; intruder, 16, arrested

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by Emily Canning-Dean

Reporter

Bedford -- Bedford High School was under a Secure Our Schools Alert for about an hour March 14 when school officials heard a rumor that a former student was on the premises with the intention of threatening a current student.

"We wanted to be proactive about investigating this rumor and we wanted to keep our students safe," said Margaret Bierman, communications coordinator for the district. "All of the students stayed in their respective classroom with their teachers while the investigation went on."

She said the doors to the school were locked during the process.

Bierman said the former student, who withdrew from school earlier this year, was found in the school cafeteria by school officials shortly after noon.

Bierman said this occurred during a lunch period, so the boy was blending in with other students in the cafeteria.

She said police arrested the juvenile and removed him from the building.

After that, the school day continued as normal.

Police said the 16-year-old juvenile was charged with aggravated menacing and aggravating trespassing.

His case has been turned over to juvenile court.

Bierman said keeping everyone in their classrooms was key in the investigation because it made it easier to find the boy who was not supposed to be there.

She said some parents were concerned about the safety measures taken.

"We didn't want to let anyone in while we were searching the building," Bierman said.

"Our first concern is the safety of our students and by following our security plan, we kept them from any danger."

Bierman said she is not sure where the rumor came from, but she said the district takes all threatening rumors seriously.

E-mail: ecanning@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3166