Threat Leads To Arrest Of Bentonville Middle School Student

Friday, April 18, 2014

BENTONVILLE -- Police arrested a fifth-grader at Barker Middle School on Thursday in connection with writing a threatening message on a bathroom wall, said Superintendent Michael Poore.

The girl who reported the message was found to have written the message, Poore said. It was reported about 1:30 p.m. Thursday.

The student faces a lengthy suspension from school, Poore said. He couldn't say what charges the girl faces. A police spokesman wasn't available for comment Thursday.

Rose Fowler, principal, wrote a letter about the incident that went home with children.

"Although I do not believe our students were in danger, I want to assure you that we always take any type of threat seriously," Fowler wrote. "Because the situation was quickly contained and resolved, we did not have to evacuate students and staff."

Fowler also asked parents to talk with their children about the seriousness of threats and the importance of reporting suspicious activities.

The incident was at least the fifth in the past two months the district has dealt with a threat of some kind written on a bathroom wall. Three have been found at Bentonville High School. The other was at Cooper Elementary School.

Only one other of those incidents has resulted in an arrest. An 18-year-old high school student was arrested in connection with terroristic threatening for reportedly writing a threat on a bathroom wall. She also reported the threat to authorities before confessing to writing it, police said.

Numerous other Northwest Arkansas school districts have dealt with similar threats this year.

NW News on 04/18/2014