Girl arrested in Bartholomew school threats investigation
Columbus Police Department Press Release Sunday, 8:30 p.m.
As Columbus Police Department (CPD) investigators continue to look into the threats made to our local schools, an arrest has been made. In the evening hours of September 15, 2024, CPD has taken a juvenile female into custody and remanded her to the Bartholomew County Youth Services Center for intimidation and false informing. Even with the arrest, we are still coordinating with the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office and the Indiana State Police to ensure safety at all Bartholomew County schools tomorrow.
Columbus Police Press Release Sunday 3:30 p.m.
The Columbus Police Department (CPD) and our community continue to make school safety a top priority. All students deserve to learn in a safe and nurturing environment. Many of our officers have children and family attending or working within our schools. CPD has an extensive history of working with the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation (BCSC) to provide that safe environment, even before we started a full-time School Resource Officer (SRO) Program in 2014. Our officers routinely conduct school security checks outside of the 5 full-time SRO’s assigned to BCSC schools.
On September 13th, 2024, we immediately began to investigate when it was reported to us that there was a shooting threat being sent through social media about Parkside Elementary School. That investigation is still ongoing. The information provided leads us to believe the threat was communicated by an elementary school student. With the investigation still going and the age of the involved parties, we can only release limited information. We can say that the student will not be attending school while we work with BCSC and the Bartholomew County Prosecutor’s Office to determine the best course of action at the conclusion of the investigation.
With the protection of our schools being our number one focus, we will have additional SROs at Parkside Elementary School. Collaborating with the Bartholomew County Sheriff’s Office and the Indiana State Police, we have reallocated resources to ensure the security of all Bartholomew County Schools.
It’s important to note that we are not the only community experiencing these types of threats for Monday. We have and will continue to address these threats with the utmost seriousness. In alignment with national best practices, we must not let a person’s careless actions or words detract from all the work our community is doing to provide the best learning environment for our children.
Columbus Police Press Release Saturday 7:17 p.m.
Following a school shooting threat made on Friday night, Columbus Police Department (CPD) investigators have determined that the threat is not credible. The individual involved does not have access to firearms, and CPD will continue to investigate the incident in partnership with Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation (BCSC).
School safety remains a top priority in our community. While we appreciate the public’s willingness to assist with school security, we ask that you allow law enforcement to manage these efforts. It’s important to note that carrying a firearm on school property is a felony.
This incident underscores the need to teach our children about responsible internet use and for parents to actively monitor their online activity. It is also critical that we all remain cautious when posting or sharing unverified information.
Thank you to all our community members who reached out with information to help us keep Columbus safe.
Columbus Police Department Press Release Friday 9:10 p.m.
The Columbus Police Department is continuing to investigate a threat of a shooting at a local school. At 6:53 pm, officers were called about a shooting threat made against Parkside Elementary School. The message that was sent via social media indicated it would take place on Monday, September 16th.
Our officers and detectives are actively investigating the origins of the message. At this point, it is unknown if this incident is related to any other threats made in other communities.
Anyone with information on the person who sent this message is encouraged to contact us at 812-376-2600.