Student arrested after making threats, trying to get on campus of Douglas County High School

DOUGLAS COUNTY — Douglas County School System police said Doulas County High School was placed on lockdown Friday after a former student made threats and was then spotted near the campus.

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School officials said that during a virtual meeting between school staff, a former student and the student’s guardian, the student showed extreme frustration after learning of his expulsion from school.

Later that morning, a member of the former student’s family, law enforcement and an anonymous source said that the student could physically harm himself and the campus.

An administrator spotted the former student walking near Interstate 20 toward the high school.

Principal Kenja Parks was able to lock the school down immediately using a crisis alert technology system. Douglas County police then formed a perimeter around the area.

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The former student was never able to gain access the the school. Police and deputies searched the area and detained the suspect.

“There was never any danger to students or staff due to the quick actions of school administrators and the Douglas County School System Police Department,” police said.

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All classes and afterschool activities resumed after the student was taken into custody.

Channel 2′s Michael Seiden talked to several parents, who rushed to the high school to try to pick up their kids.

“My heart is still beating really fast,” said Tiffany Smith, the parent of a high school junior. “I was getting ready for work, and I just threw anything on. I ran up here, and I tried to call. And I’m looking online trying to see what’s going on.”

Many parents who Seiden talked to claimed the former student had been expelled for bringing a gun to school earlier this year.

The student, who hasn’t been identified, is facing charges of disrupting public schools and making terroristic threats. It’s unclear if he was armed when he approached the school.

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