ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — An armed former student was arrested outside an Overland school Tuesday afternoon after a threat was made to a different school in north St. Louis County.
A press conference with St. Ann, Overland and Breckenridge Hills police departments and the Ritenour School District was held Tuesday afternoon.
According to a release from the Ritenour School District, a threat was made toward Ritenour High School. The threat was forwarded to the district and police.
"I want to thank our students that saw it. They saw it out on social media. We had a number of students that came directly forward and notified administrators," Ritenour School District Superintendent Dr. Chris Kilbride said.
The suspect was identified as a former student and a search began, the release said.
Kilbride said the threatening post had a picture and a pinned location to Ritenour High School.
Officers located the student in a car in the parking lot of Husky Academy in Overland at around 2 p.m. He ran from police and was arrested about a block away, 24 minutes after police were initially made aware of the threat.
Police recovered a loaded handgun.
The teenager, who is not currently enrolled at any school in the district, was brought to juvenile court.
Husky Academy was held in place while the investigation was happening near the school.
"Students and faculty were at school at that time, and that's when they went down and they got away from the main the windows and the other areas," Ritenour School District Assistant Superintendent for Student Support Julie Hahn said.
While the response was quick, the wounds will not heal quickly. Superintendent for Special School District Dr. Michael Maclin said the school community is exhausted.
"We are in the second month of school, and at the end of the day, students and staff are tired. Parents are tired because of where we are now in 2024 and so truly understanding the sense of urgency and being able to eliminate these threats and ensuring that they don't perpetuate, they don't continue, by using (the Courage2Report tipline), by contacting the school and standing up and being a true champion of the community and of schools," Maclin said.
Extra counseling will be made available for students.
The Ritenour School District released the following statement:
"Ritenour Families,
"We wanted to make you aware of a situation this afternoon that involved a threat made toward Ritenour High School by a person who is not a current student at the school. The threat was forwarded to district administrators and the police.
"Administrators and police immediately identified the former student and quickly found the whereabouts of this person. At that point, local law enforcement began a search in the community and the person was located and taken into custody under felony charges.
"As a precaution, one of our buildings was held in place while the investigation was occurring very near the school. This decision was made as a part of our focus on ensuring students and staff safety and is in line with our safety protocols.
"The Courage to Report Tipline through the Missouri State Highway Patrol was utilized in this situation, which included information that could be immediately acted upon.
"Again, it is our shared responsibility to keep one another safe.
"Sincerely,
"Dr. Chris Kilbride, Superintendent"