Teachers threatened, dead cat found in backback Ceres, CA (US)Incident Date: Friday, Mar 23, 2012 County: Stanislaus
Disposition: Alleged
Alleged: Name Undisclosed
Police arrested a 17-year-old Argus High School student Friday morning on suspicion of threatening and brandishing a knife at two staff members.
Officers also found a dead cat in his backpack - officers said he admitted to strangling the animal.
The boy walked into the continuation school's office shortly before 8 a.m. and asked to talk to a counselor, said Ceres Unified School District Assistant Superintendent Jay Simmonds.
Within minutes of sitting down with the counselor, the student pulled out a three-inch pocket knife and made comments Simmonds described as threatening, inappropriate and strange.
The student asked the counselor to call police, which she did. The school was placed on lockdown.
When the boy asked a second time for the counselor to call police, she told him they were on the way and that he needed to leave her office.
The boy then went to the main office, where Simmonds said he made more strange threats, directing them at the office manager, then sat in a chair.
About 8 a.m., officers arrived at the school, where they could see the boy sitting with the knife in his hand, according to Detective Darren Venn.
Because the school was shut down, the office was locked, Venn said, but the door quickly was opened.
Police entered the office and ordered the boy to drop the weapon, he said. The student complied and was taken into custody. Officers arrested the boy about five minutes after arriving at the school.
Detectives would not comment about what the boy said to school employees.
He was arrested on suspicion of false imprisonment, assault with a deadly weapon, burglary, making terrorist threats and animal cruelty.
"Obviously there are other issues going on with this young man," Simmonds said. "It was a serious situation for the counselor and the office manager, but they are safe." References |