Police have reported yet another threat this week against a Louisiana school.
The Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office has arrested Warren A. LeBlanc, 41, of 7750 Mississippi Ave., Hayes, after LeBlanc made
threats to shoot up Bell City School on Friday morning.
LeBlanc reportedly told a friend about his plan Thursday evening. On Friday morning, she alerted Bell City School officials
of LeBlanc’s threat.
Assistant Superintendent Gary Anderson
said the school then informed the resource officer, who put a call in to
the Calcasieu
Parish Sheriff’s Department. The school was placed on lock down
for precautionary measures. The Calcasieu Parish School Board
also was informed.
“It was a modified lock down; we didn’t close the school. We took precautions at the school based on the emergency that was
reported to us and went through our procedures, and school went on as usual,” Superintendent Wayne Savoy said.
Anderson said the school was taken off the lock down before midday.
Deputies later found LeBlanc on Highway 90 in Iowa in Thomas P. Crochet’s car. Three firearms were found in the car, but neither
LeBlanc nor Crochet claimed ownership. LeBlanc is a convicted felon and cannot be in the presence of firearms. Detectives
learned Crochet, 47, 7090 Mississippi Ave., Hayes, had an outstanding contempt of court warrant for DWI, along with other
traffic offenses, and was arrested with LeBlanc.
After detectives searched LeBlanc’s house, they found and confiscated six more guns.
LeBlanc was being held at the Calcasieu Correctional Center on Friday, charged with one count of terrorizing and nine counts
of possession of weapons by a convicted felon. He is also on probation through April 2015 for a conviction of unauthorized
entry of an inhabited dwelling.
Bell City School officials could not be reached for comment.
This is at least the fourth incident of a threat against a school in Louisiana in the past week. Two Acadiana High School
students were accused of making threats against their school body Friday.
Lafayette Parish school system officials said one student, a 14-year-old, was sent to juvenile detention, and the other, a
17-year-old, was arrested after an investigation by Scott police.
The students were allegedly overheard threatening to bring a gun to campus Friday, according to a news story by The Advocate.
School system spokeswoman Angela Morrison said in the news release that “the matter has been resolved, and there is no potential
for danger.”
On Thursday, two students were arrested and accused of making threats against the school.
On Tuesday, authorities said two Tioga High students would face terrorism charges after emails were sent to the school on
Jan. 31 that resulted in a lock down. Both were booked into the Rapides Parish Detention Center and are being held without
bond.