The Marysville Division of Police investigated an incident at Marysville High School (MHS) that involved a student allegedly making threatening statements and gestures.
According to Deputy Chief Tony Brooks, a 14-year-old male student reportedly made a “suspicious comment” and a gun motion with his hand a few weeks ago. The incident wasn’t brought to the school’s attention until Tuesday.
Brooks said the school resource officer at the high school has interviewed several students, and Marysville Police don’t yet know the extent of the threat.
“We’re still trying to determine that,” Brooks said.
The student, according to Brooks, claimed he was joking. Brooks said the student has also been temporarily removed from class.
The investigation is ongoing. Brooks said since the report came to the police department as a threat, they’re treating it as they would any other case. Until it’s determined what exactly happened, the incident is being taken seriously.
“We’re still going to do our due diligence,” he said.
In an interview this morning, MHS Principal Tom Cochran said the student also made threatening statements. He said there were some students who were concerned with the threats.
“They were all sure what they heard made them uncomfortable,” he said.
Cochran sent a letter to parents Wednesday notifying them of the incident.
“Once made aware, we immediately executed our safety plan,” he wrote. “We worked in collaboration with the Marysville Police Department and our school resource officer in order to conduct a thorough and effective investigation.”
Cochran noted “normal school operations” were not affected.
“Safety of our staff and students is always our highest priority,” he wrote. “When made aware of concerns, we are able to take appropriate actions. It takes our entire community of students, staff and parents to collaborate with us so we can continue to provide a safe learning environment.”