September 24, 2019
By: Dwayne Page
Law enforcement officers converged on DeKalb County High School Monday night using K-9’s for a walk through of the buildings and grounds after a threatening note targeting DCHS turned up at a school in Putnam County.
The search involved school administrators, the Sheriff’s Department, and Smithville Police, along with the Tennessee Highway Patrol and Putnam County Sheriff’s Department using their K-9 dogs, and DeKalb Emergency Management Agency Coordinator Charlie Parker.
The search produced nothing threatening or suspicious.
Last month security was beefed up at the high school after a threatening note was found in a restroom.
The school district sent out an all-call to students, parents, faculty, and staff Monday night making them aware of the latest threat.
In a prepared statement, Director of Schools Patrick Cripps said “late in the day on September 23, Putnam County’s school administration notified DCHS Principal Randy Jennings of a letter found at one of their schools that made a threat to DeKalb County High School. After assessing the information, we contacted local law enforcement at which point trained outside agencies were contacted and explosive device trained K-9 units from the Tennessee Highway Patrol and Putnam County Sheriff’s Department were utilized to search and clear the buildings and grounds. Putnam County School Resource Officers are investigating the threat and the information they received. At this point, school officials and law enforcement have deemed the DCHS campus a safe environment”.
“We would like to remind all citizens of DeKalb County that the safety of our students is our utmost concern and we will continue to be proactive in ensuring all students remain safe. If those responsible for this threat are located, they will be prosecuted for their actions,” Cripps continued.
“The DeKalb County School system would like to thank Chief Mark Collins and the Smithville Police Department, Sheriff Patrick Ray and the Sheriff’s Department, Emergency Management Director Charlie Parker, the Tennessee Highway Patrol and other outside agencies for their timely response and assistance in ensuring the safety of the students in DeKalb County,” said Director Cripps.