School plot involved hostages and violence

UTICA – Some parents in the North Fork school district are disappointed with the district's response to a possible threat that involved taking teachers and students hostage.

Documents from the Licking County Juvenile Court show two 12-year-old boys are accused of having a plan to take hostages at Utica Elementary School, hold a knife to the throat of the principal and "cut the throats of several faculty members."

Many parents were surprised that they had not been informed of the threat — which had been reported on Friday — sooner.

A letter was sent home with students Monday afternoon informing parents of the situation. Several parents expressed their opinion on the Advocate's Facebook page that they should have been informed before the letter was sent home.

Sandra Back is the parent of a child who was in the same class as one of the suspects.

"My biggest concern is that we weren't notified sooner," Back said. "When it comes to my child's safety, I don't care if it is midnight or 2 in the morning. If they can send out automated calls and phone notifications about sports events, why can't they send one out about this?"

Back said her child's class had to have an extended recess period Monday while police conducted a search of the suspects' desks.

"They were threatening to hold my child hostage," she said. "I know it wasn't directed straight at my child, but when it's in her class, it, I feel, is directly at my child."

North Fork Superintendent Scott Hartley told The Advocate on Monday that things developed too late in the day Friday to inform parents.

"We were only three-quarters of the way into the investigation at 8 or 9 that night, so we weren't able to notify them until we got back on Monday," he said.

Calls placed to Hartley on Tuesday seeking additional information were not returned.

Police were informed of the threat by the elementary school principal around 4:30 p.m. Friday, Utica police Chief Clifford Bigler said.

Officers took immediate action and questioned the two boys before detaining them in the Multi-County Juvenile Detention Facility in Lancaster, Bigler said.

At the time they were detained, the two 12-year-olds did not have any weapons on them, Bigler said.

Charges were taken to the Licking County Prosecutor's Office on Monday morning, and three search warrants were executed during the day Monday. Those warrants covered the students' desks and cubbies at the school as well as their homes.

Bigler said the students' parents have been cooperative with the investigation.

There was never any danger to students on Monday because the two boys who were implicated in the threat had been detained, Bigler said.

Both of the boys appeared Monday before Magistrate Chris Strefelt in Licking County Juvenile Court on delinquency equivalent charges of misdemeanor aggravated menacing.