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School violence: officers investigate at Prescott, Emmet

By Wendy Ledbetter
Published Wednesday, January 17, 2007 in the Nevada County Picayune

School violence hit close to home over the week of Jan. 8 with two incidents at local schools that involved threats and police action.

According to Prescott Police Chief Brian Russell, officers were called to the old gymnasium at the rear of the property of the Prescott High School for a disturbance on Jan. 8.

Prescott Superintendent Hyacinth Deon confirmed that there was an incident involving students and a box cutter. Deon said the problem occurred after school hours, but declined to offer additional specific information about the incident.

It will be handled at the next school board meeting, Deon said.

That meeting is slated for Jan. 16 at 6:00 p.m. An expulsion hearing is included on the agenda.

The Prescott Police Department has a file on the incident, but released only limited details. According to Russell, officers were called to the gym at 5:26 p.m. on Jan. 8. Russell said that no one was taken to the hospital. The police report listed several witnesses to the event, including some students.

Russell said the entire police file, including victim and suspect information, has been turned over to the local juvenile court authorities.

Following that altercation, the Nevada County Sheriffs Office received a call concerning a missing box knife at the Emmet School on Jan. 11. Scanner traffic indicated that a school official had discovered the missing box knife and was concerned.

Nevada County Sheriff Bobby Carlton confirmed that Sheriffs Deputy Robert Missey responded to the call and that the box knife was recovered without incident. However, Missey was made aware of another potential problem brewing on the Emmet campus and immediately began an investigation into an alleged series of threats made by a student.

Carlton said he received several calls from concerned parents and school officials who were looking for information regarding the safety of the children on the campus. Some parents reportedly picked up their children and others were considering whether to hold students out of school the following day.

Carlton said hed been told that the student in question had been suspended, but cited the fact that the student was a juvenile and declined to offer any specific information regarding the incident or the actions taken.

While school violence has escalated across the county, local officers said they take any threat seriously.

I took it seriously, Carlton said. We have followed up on the concerns.


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