Police make another high school threat arrest in southwest Illinois
One person was arrested Wednesday in connection with a threat made about Granite City High School on social media, Granite City police said.
This was the third time since a student and teacher were killed in a St. Louis high school on Oct. 24 that a metro-east police department has made an arrest in connection with high school security concerns.
Belleville and O’Fallon police made arrests last week.
In the Granite City case on Wednesday, police said the department learned at about 8:30 a.m. that someone had made a threat against Granite City Senior High School via social media.
“The Granite City Police Department immediately initiated an investigation into the matter and quickly identified the person who made the threat,” Major Nick Novacich said in a news release.
“That individual was located and taken into custody without incident,” the statement said. “Due to the age of the individual apprehended, no identifiable information can be released.”
Details about the threat on social media were not released by the police department.
Granite City School District 9 Superintendent Stephanie M. Cann said the district received a report of a “social media post of concern on Snapchat.”
“Due to the quick action of Granite City High School students, staff, administrators and the Granite City Police Department, the situation has been investigated and resolved,” Cann said in a statement. “After a thorough investigation, it was determined there was no imminent threat to students or staff.”
Previous arrests
O’Fallon police on Thursday arrested a 16-year-old student in connection with a false threat of a weapon at O’Fallon Township High School.
On Tuesday, Oct. 25, the day after the St. Louis shooting, two students, ages 14 and 15, were arrested at Belleville East High School in connection with the seizure of a gun and ammunition.
The St. Louis shooting occurred on Monday, Oct. 24 in the Central Visual and Performing Arts High School, which was previously known as Southwest High School. The gunman, Orlando Harris, a former student at the school, was shot and killed by police officers after he had fatally shot sophomore Alexzandria Bell and health teacher Jean Kuczka.
This story was originally published November 2, 2022 at 12:23 PM.
