Note describing possible school shooting leads to arrest

~ Officials plan increased police presence at high school to calm fears of violence.

High schoolers learned Wednesday even jokes of school shootings would not be tolerated following the arrest of a Cape Girardeau student.

The 17-year-old student was arrested at Central High School early Wednesday afternoon while class was still in session, police spokesman Jason Selzer said. The boy wrote a note depicting how to conduct a school shooting.

At the beginning of the note, the student wrote "Pretend" and said a school shooting should not be done, but if it were, this would be how to do it, according to Selzer.

In response to the arrest, the school principal, Mike Cowan, sent an automated telephone message Wednesday night to parents letting them know it would be safe to bring their child to school today.

A diagram in the student's note detailed how to carry out a school shooting, Selzer said. The student showed the diagram to a couple of students, who then reported it to authorities.

Charges uncertain

Selzer did not know what charges, if any, would be sought against the arrested boy.

"Students need to know that they cannot make any types of statements or actions that would indicate any kind of possible threat," school district superintendent David Scala said. "They shouldn't joke about things."

Cowan said in the automated message that a rumor circulating Wednesday of an "act of violence" to be carried out at the school today was not credible.

"Regardless ... there will be an increased police presence in order to assure that all of us are as safe and as secure as possible at Cape Central High School," Cowan said.

The increased police presence, done as a precaution and to make people feel safer, would include uniformed officers in addition to the school resource officer, Selzer said.

The school has access to metal detecting wands, and Scala said they would be used if school officials "feel it a necessity."

"We take this all seriously," Scala said. "Fortunately, students are telling us when they hear these things."

He encouraged students and adults to come forward when they hear about possible attacks, even rumors, and stressed that authorities would investigate them.

Similar incidents

Police do not believe Wednesday's arrest was connected with a Friday incident where a 15-year-old freshman was cited into juvenile court for making a terrorist threat, Selzer said.

The boy wrote two notes to girls stating he heard there would be a school shooting in the future and alluded that he would kill the attackers.

In another unrelated incident last week, Chaffee student Aaron Volkerding, 17, was charged with felony making a terrorist threat.

According to police, Volkerding told people over the Internet that he planned to kill several people at Chaffee High School.

kmorrison@semissourian.com

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