By Richard Kaufman
Sentinel Reporter
After a nearly six month long investigation into the discovery of a threatening message written inside a Greenwich High School bathroom stall, the Greenwich Police Department announced early Wednesday morning that they’ve arrested a juvenile student for Threatening in the first degree and Breach of Peace in the second.
On March 29, 2017, the threatening message was found inside a bathroom stall and was brought to the attention of the school, which subsequently went into a lockdown, freezing 3,000 people in place.
Approximately 40 officers responded to the GHS campus and searched every student, backpack and room for weapons or other threats. All after-school activities were cancelled, except for the choral concert which proceeded as scheduled. The lockdown was lifted at 4 p.m., and students were dismissed after the building was deemed safe.
At the time, GPD said the lockdown was not due to a bomb threat, but that a specific time and location was referenced in the written message.
Dr. Sal Corda, who was serving as the interim Superintendent when the incident took place, commended the students and police officers for handling the situation in an orderly and efficient manner.
“Our procedures were implemented and students did an outstanding job in following the directions of the staff. The high school administration and the staff acted with a high level of professionalism and evidenced the strongest of concerns for student safety at every step of the process,” Corda said in a statement that day. “The Greenwich Police Department had an imposing presence, guided our actions at every step, and facilitated a smooth process where every room was thoroughly searched and every student was appropriately searched by a male or female member of the high school staff.”
According to a press release released by the GPD on Wednesday, the Special Victim Section conducted the investigation and eventually identified a suspect.
Probable cause for an arrest was established, and the department applied for a Juvenile Arrest Warrant which was reviewed by the Juvenile Prosecutor and presented to a Superior Court Judge who signed off on it.
“The safety of our children — our most vulnerable population — is a paramount mission of the Greenwich Police Department,” said GPD Det. Sgt. Brent Reeves in the press release. “When these types of incidents occur, the full weight of the Greenwich Police Departments is put behind the investigation.”
The incident on March 29, 2017 was the first of two threats made towards the high school during the last school year. The second occurred when an adult suspect attempted to frame a
student relative at GHS by passing a threatening note to a student. The investigation into that matter also ended with an arrest.
