Threat leads to arrest of Sisters student

An 11-year-old Sisters Elementary School student was arrested Friday, April 23, after he allegedly threatened to bring a gun to school.

According to Deputy Scott Shelton of the Deschutes County Sheriff's Office, the incident stemmed from a couple of days of teasing and harassment.

Shelton said the youth told students who were teasing him that he was going to "return to school with my ... .22 and take care of you guys.

The incident was reported and Deputy Shelton investigated and arrested the youth on a menacing charge. According to Shelton, the arrest was in accordance with the Safe Schools Alliance policy of acting "any time there's a threat or a weapon of any kind.

Both Shelton and principal Tim Comfort emphasized that the boy knew immediately that he had made a big mistake.

"As soon as he made the remark, he knew it was wrong, Comfort said.

Deputy Shelton transported the boy to the Juvenile Justice Department in Bend, where a risk-assessment was conducted. The youth was arraigned in circuit court where, according to Shelton, Judge Michael Sullivan "pretty well read the kid the riot act.

The judge released the boy into the custody of a parent after determining that he would be supervised and had no access to a weapon.

"The parent was 100 percent behind everything we did, Shelton said. "It was an excellent response.

The boy was suspended from school on Friday and Monday. He was to return to school on Tuesday, though he will face further disciplinary action, according to Comfort. The principal also said that school staff will work with the boy on issues of temperment and coping skills.

"The good news is that it wasn't by any means that he was ready or willing to implement (the threat), Comfort said. "But it was alarming and yes, we took it seriously.

Two other children were cited in connection with the harassment.

In a separate incident, a middle school student was suspended on Friday, April 23, after he allegedly intimated that he had a gun with him on the school bus.

"The rest of the kids on the bus got really upset and told the bus driver right away, Shelton said.

According to Shelton, the bus driver and other school officials checked the youth's backpack and found no weapon.

"He didn't have a weapon, Shelton said. "He didn't even have access to a weapon.

Shelton said the boy is a newcomer to the school and was likely seeking attention.