Bell City arrest, Scott City incident highlight high-alert status following Fla. school shooting

As the United States comes to grips with the latest mass school shooting Wednesday, students, parents and school personnel have been on high alert in Southeast Missouri and across the state � some threats have resulted in arrests and others were found to be of no significance.

A Bell City, Missouri, student was arrested Thursday after making a threat, according to a probable-cause statement. In nearby Scott City, authorities examined another possible threat, but no discipline action was taken. In Southwest Missouri, a student was taken into custody after threatening to shoot up a school with an AK-47.

Luke Hare, 19, was arrested Thursday at his home in the Bell City episode, according to a probable-cause statement from the Stoddard County Sheriff�s Office.

According to the statement, Bell City High School principal Fred Scherer contacted the sheriff�s office at approximately 9:50 a.m. Thursday to report one of his students, whom he identified as Hare, had made a threat of violence.

Five students and a teacher gave written statements that they overheard the threat.

Hare had left the property before Scherer learned of the threat, according to the statement.

Upon Hare�s arrest, detectives found multiple firearms, including rifles and handguns, and .40-caliber and shotgun ammunition in Hare�s vehicle.

The weapons were seized at that time, according to the statement.

At Scott City, superintendent Brian Lee told the Southeast Missourian an investigation concluded a report of a threat wasn�t actually a threat.

�We take all of these types of situations seriously,� Lee wrote in an email to the newspaper. �We also involved local law enforcement, and they came to the same conclusion.�

He added, �We diligently follow up on all reports of this nature. The safety of our students and staff is our highest priority.�

A woman claiming to be the mother of the boy in question wrote in a Facebook post her son was overheard talking about a video game. The post could not be independently verified by the Southeast Missourian.

In Cape Girardeau, according to a Jan. 26 news release from the Cape Girardeau Police Department, officers investigated a possible threat of violence at Central High School.

No arrests were made in connection to the threat. Days earlier, rumors swirled in the Jackson School District about a rumor of a threat, that proved to be untrue.

In Republic, Missouri, police have arrested a 13-year-old student after he allegedly said in a video sent over social media he would shoot up a school with an AK-47, according to a report from the Springfield (Missouri) News-Leader.

The Republic boy was arrested early Sunday morning for making a terrorist threat, according to a news release from the Republic Police Department.

Police seized guns and other evidence from the juvenile�s residence, and an investigation is ongoing, the release stated.

In Florida, last Wednesday, 19-year-old Nikolas Cruz was alleged to have fired an AR-15 rifle to kill 17 people at his former high school.

The shooting has reinvigorated debate on how to prevent such shootings, including gun-control measures such as so-called �red flag laws� or gun-violence restraining orders, which could have allowed Cruz�s relatives, authorities or his schools to request a judicial order barring him from possessing guns.

The Associated Press reported five states have laws enabling family members, guardians or police to ask judges to temporarily strip gun rights from people who show warning signs of violence.

Missouri is one of more than a dozen states that are considering bills to enable family members or police to petition the courts to take away weapons from people showing signs of mental distress or violence, the AP reported.

Florida lacks such a law, but red flag legislation has been introduced by Democratic state lawmakers. It hasn�t been heard during this year�s session.

In 2014, California became the first state to let family members ask a judge to remove firearms from a relative who appears to pose a threat. Its legislature took action after a mentally ill man, Elliot Rodger, killed six students and wounded 13 others near the University of California, Santa Barbara, before killing himself.

California�s law also empowers police to petition for the protective orders, which can require authorities to remove firearms for up to one year. Connecticut, Indiana, Oregon and Washington also have some version of a red flag law.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

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