OBERLIN — Authorities in Allen Parish have received a number of complaints of threats of violence at schools and are taking action, said Sheriff Doug Hebert III.

{{tncms-inline content=”<p style="text-align: left;">Each notification is being treated as a credible threat until determined to be otherwise, and officers are doing security checks and walk-throughs in every parish school.</p> <p style="text-align: right;"><strong>Sheriff Doug Hebert III</strong></p> <p style="text-align: right;">Allen Parish</p>” id=”6fec153a-5e63-4a85-b231-a4df591485a0″ style-type=”quote” title=”Pull Quote” type=”relcontent”}}

“In every instance, the matter was investigated fully immediately after being received,” Hebert said. “In light of the shootings which have occurred across the nation recently, I and every chief of police and officer are handling these complaints with the utmost in urgency and diligence.”

Each notification is being treated as a credible threat until determined to be otherwise, and officers are doing security checks and walk-throughs in every parish school, he said.

Authorities and the Allen Parish School Board are working together to streamline the reporting and assessment process for threats, he said.

The cases are being turned over to the School Board for determination of disciplinary action. The District Attorney’s Office is also reviewing all matters.

On Tuesday, detectives investigated threats at Oberlin High.

Hebert said one student drew the square root sign and another said it looked like a gun. That student then made a comment that out of context could sound like a threat, he said.

Detectives searched the student’s home and found no evidence that he possessed or had access to a firearm, Hebert said. There was no evidence the student intended to harm anyone, he said.

An Oakdale Middle student was expelled earlier this week for telling another student that “someone was going to come and kill a lot of people at school,” said Oakdale Police Chief Joseph Lockett Sr. The threat was reported to a teacher, he said.

Lockett in a Facebook post urged parents to talk to their children about the seriousness of making threats.

In a separate incident, a pellet gun was discovered in a student’s car at Elizabeth High last Friday.

Several more pellet guns were recovered during a search of the student’s residence, but no firearms were found, Hebert said.

The student was removed from the school pending disciplinary action.

Each notification is being treated as a credible threat until determined to be otherwise, and officers are doing security checks and walk-throughs in every parish school.

Sheriff Doug Hebert III

Allen Parish

School Threats