Callaway County teen detained after allegedly making threat toward elementary school

UPDATE: The Superintendent of North Callaway County R-1 School District released the following statement to parents Sunday evening:

“North Callaway school administration was notified Friday morning of a concerning statement a student made to a peer on Tuesday at Auxvasse Elementary. The administration and staff acted immediately and determined there was no immediate threat to any student, took the steps to ensure all the students would remain safe, and notified the Callaway County Sheriff’s Department. The Sheriff’s Department then conducted an investigation and have released a statement in response to their investigation. For the District, this is an ongoing investigation and we will continue to follow our district’s policies and procedures until the completion of the investigation.

Students’ safety is a top priority for the entire district and we take every situation very seriously and handle them in accordance with our discipline policy. Our staff is trained annually on the best practices for dealing with these types of issues.

We would like to thank the Callaway County Sheriff’s Department for their thorough investigation and assistance on this serious matter.”

ORIGINAL: Callaway County deputies said they detained a 13-year-old Friday after they learned about a threat made toward Auxvasse Elementary School.

In a Facebook post, deputies said administrative staff at the elementary school contacted the Callaway County Sheriff’s Office on Friday about a possible threat made by a student.

According to the post, the administrative staff reported they just learned about the threat, even though it was allegedly made three days before, without their knowledge. Once staff learned about the threat, they immediately contacted law enforcement for assistance.

On Friday, when the alleged threat was reported, an off-duty Callaway County deputy was already scheduled to be at the school in the morning for a student reading program, according to the post. The post said therefore, as soon as the sheriff’s office was contacted, a deputy was at the school to help ensure the safety of the students while the investigation continued.

More deputies responded to the school and worked with administration to find out all the details related to the investigation, according to the post. The investigation led to the identification of a 13-year-old student who allegedly made the threatening statements in question.

According to the post, deputies also learned the same student allegedly made another statement of concern Friday morning.

After deputies completed a detailed investigation at the school, the 13-year-old student was detained on charges of making a terroristic threat, according to the post. It said the student was transported to the Callaway County Sheriff’s Office, then referred to the Callaway County Juvenile Office for disposition.

According to the post, the school and North Callaway R-I School District administrative staff cooperated fully with the investigation and acted swiftly once they learned about the threat.

Any school disciplinary actions taken with the 13-year-old is up to the school district, according to the post.