NEW RICHMOND, Ohio — A person is in custody after making a threat of violence against New Richmond Middle School, and district officials say there is no ongoing danger to students or staff, the New Richmond Exempted Village School District said in a statement posted to Facebook late Monday night.
Superintendent Paul Daniels said the district was first notified by law enforcement of a threat against one of its buildings, and the investigation that followed identified the middle school as the target. By the time the district posted its update, the person responsible for the threat had been taken into custody.
Daniels said he was first contacted around 6:30 p.m. and spent the next two and a half hours coordinating with police as tips came in from the district’s Stay Safe, Speak Up reporting system along with texts and emails from parents and community members.
The New Richmond Police Department and the Clermont County Sheriff’s Office jointly investigated the threat, according to the district. Daniels said the district held off on releasing public information at several points Monday night specifically to avoid interfering with the police response, deferring to law enforcement on what could be shared and when.
Local authorities will determine what criminal consequences the person responsible may face, the district said. The district said it will separately pursue discipline under its own code of conduct, which could include penalties up to and including expulsion.
The district pointed students and families toward mental health resources in the wake of the threat, including the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline and the district’s Stay Safe, Speak Up program, which lets students report safety concerns directly to staff.
Suspects are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
The information contained in this story was obtained from New Richmond Exempted Village Schools.