BELLEVILLE, Ill. — The student behind the threats which canceled classes for two Belleville high schools has been placed into custody.
Superintendent Dr. Jeff Dosier confirmed to 5 On Your Side that the student was placed into custody without incident shortly before 8 a.m. Belleville Township High School District 201 canceled classes earlier Wednesday morning after the suspect reportedly threatened another student, which police deemed as credible.
Belleville police said the mother of the suspect told officers her son had left their home early Wednesday morning due to relationship problems with his girlfriend, who attends Belleville East. Before leaving, the mother reported he had made suicidal comments towards her.
The mother later discovered her handgun was missing. Paired with his alleged suicidal comments and the missing handgun, authorities were led to believe the teenager had intended to confront his girlfriend and other students at the East campus.
Harry Hamm, the Public Information Officer for the Belleville Fire Department, said SWAT members entered the East campus to search for the suspect after the threat was made. This was after school had already been canceled for the day.
It is not currently known where the suspect was located when he was placed into custody.
This is a developing story.
