NEW BLOOMFIELD, Mo. - A juvenile was taken into custody Thursday following a threat against New Bloomfield High School.
According to Callaway County Sheriff Clay Chism, the sheriff's office learned of a verbal threat of violence at 4:27 p.m. Thursday. An email sent by school administration to parents stated that a student initially reported the threat.
"We are unable to discuss the specifics of the threat due to juvenile law," Chism said Friday. "I do believe it's imperative the community to know that we deemed the threat to be serious. Based on the initial investigation, it was evident that this was not just a child making a joke, but instead a child who could potentially pose a threat to the campus."
The sheriff's office contacted the New Bloomfield school resource officer, Nick Jensen. He and other deputies immediately launched an investigation. Chism said Holts Summit Police Department, which is contracted with New Bloomfield to provide police work in the town, was notified of the situation and was prepared to offer backup if necessary.
"At no time were students in immediate danger," said New Bloomfield Superintendent Sarah Wisdom.
Deputies spoke with staff and students and ultimately detained a juvenile suspect for making a terrorist threat, a felony. Authorities did not identify the juvenile, though Chism and Wisdom confirmed the suspect is a male student of the high school.
"We're still working with district to determine the catalyst of the situation and if there was any background that led to (it)," Chism said. "Sometimes there's a situation brewing that leads to an incident such as this, and we're trying to get to the bottom of whatever led to (the threat)."
The suspect was transferred into the custody of Callaway County juvenile authorities, Chism stated.
District administrators made the decision to keep the school open on Friday. The district sent out a phone call and email to parents late Thursday evening, notifying them of the situation.
"We're business as usual," Wisdom said. "We do have increased law enforcement here, just as a precaution. We don't feel like there's any immediate danger to our staff and our kids."
She said she was grateful to have Jensen on site. In May, the district became the second in the county to contract with the sheriff's department for an SRO. Jensen started the job in August, and this is the first situation of this nature he's had to respond to, Chism said.
"It's always nice to have someone who can act fast," Wisdom said. "We definitely saw that last night. We acted immediately."
Chism also praised Jensen's swift response.
"The relationship he's established the last few months with students and staff was advantageous to this investigation," he said. "When students feel comfortable providing information to a law enforcement officer, they're likely to provide that information more quickly."
Wisdom and Chism both emphasized the importance they place on school safety.
"We take all threats seriously and the safety of our kids has to come first," Wisdom said. "I feel that's what we did last night."
In her email to parents, she also thanked the student who initially came forward to report the threat.