A Lakota student now faces school disciplinary action after a photograph showing him holding a gun circulated on social media and triggered both school safety concerns and a criminal investigation.
Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones informed FOX19 NOW on Wednesday that the investigation concluded the student posed no danger to the school or to any other individual.
“It appears the only threat he was making was to himself,” the sheriff stated during a telephone interview.
The inquiry commenced earlier this week and included the participation of the West Chester Police Department.
Associate Principal Bill Brinkman of Lakota East Freshman School, located on Bethany Road in Liberty Township, communicated updates to parents in two separate letters regarding the situation.
The school district furnished copies of these letters to FOX19 NOW on Wednesday, immediately after the station requested them.
His initial letter to parents read as follows: “We wanted to make you aware that the Butler County Sheriff’s Office and West Chester Police Department are investigating a photo that was shared to social media today. We also understand that several of our families have contacted the police about the photo.”
“At this time, police do not believe that there is a threat to our school. While the photo showed a concerning image, no specific threat was made to our school. Additionally, we were made aware of a concerning statement made by a student at school today, which we are investigating. We believe the statement may be indirectly tied to the photo, but again, no direct threat was made to our school.”
“It is always our intent to be transparent by sharing information with you, especially when it involves student safety and security. Although the investigation has not concluded yet, I wanted to share as much information as I can with our families. With respect to the time of night, I will either send a follow-up communication no later than 10:30 p.m. tonight or by 6 a.m. tomorrow morning.”
In his subsequent communication to parents, Brinkman provided further details:
“I am writing to share that we have concluded our internal investigation into the concerning statement reported to us at the end of school yesterday. We have found enough consistency through the investigation that the student involved is facing disciplinary action in accordance with Lakota Student Code of Conduct.”
“I want to reiterate that no direct threat was made to our school community. However, the statement that was initially reported to us at the end of the day did reference a weapon. Our school resource officer, Deputy Craig Singleton, was also involved in the investigation.”
“Please have a conversation with your student about the importance of alerting a trusted adult immediately if you have a safety concern. We will investigate all safety concerns. As I have shared with you, and our students, if they see or hear something, we want them to say something.”
Leave a Reply