An increased law enforcement presence was visible Thursday at the East Beauregard school campus as Sheriff Mark Herford said officials were operating “out of an abundance of caution” in response to some concerning social media comments made towards an employee of the school.
According to Herford, one employee of the school received comments that officials should close the school on Thursday. While the comments contained no further information or details, Herford said his office and officials with the school board chose to act to be “absolutely certain” the campus was safe.
“We do not take comments of this nature lightly and we will always do what is necessary to ensure that our students and faculty members in Beauregard Parish are safe,” Herford told the American Press.
Herford said extra deputies remained on the school campus throughout the duration of the school day without any incident.
As of Thursday evening, Herford said numerous search warrants had been executed in an attempt to identify electronic devices associated with the account that made the concerning comments, and Herford said that so far those warrants had produced information that led detectives to believe the account user is located out of state.
“At this point I am very, very confident that this person is not in Beauregard Parish, and is not even in the southern U.S.,” Herford said.
School officials and authorities released alerts to parents Wednesday night to warn them of the added law enforcement presence that would be on campus Thursday, which prompted some parents to keep their students home due to the “vague” information they say that was provided to them.
School Board Superintendent Timothy Cooley said he believed school officials and Herford acted appropriately in their response to the comments, and said the school board is working closely with the sheriff’s office as it continues its investigation.
“Any time an incident arises, we work hand in hand with the Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office. Safety is of the utmost importance and the decision was made to alert parents in order to ensure the safety of all students, faculty and staff,” Cooley said.
Once located, Herford said the person behind the comments could be facing criminal charges related to cyber threats or even terrorizing.
“Once located, I intend to charge this person to the full extent of the law, and that includes extradition to Beauregard Parish from wherever they may be located. We want people to know that here in Beauregard Parish, we absolutely take things of this nature seriously,” Herford said.
Herford said extra deputies will be at the school on Friday to continue to help ease any concerns students or faculty members may have.
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December 03, 2021 at 09:39AM
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