Police: Rumor of gun threat at Moab schools is unfounded
by Lisa J. Church
staff writer
Dec 26, 2012 | 2271 views | 0 0 comments | 9 9 recommendations | email to a friend | print
A false rumor that someone planned to bring a gun to Grand County High or middle school prompted local law enforcement to post officers at all county schools on Friday, Dec. 21. Moab Police Chief Mike Navarre said city police and Grand County Sheriff’s deputies investigated the rumored threat and determined it was unfounded.

“No one brought a gun to school. That’s completely untrue ...,” Navarre said. “ I feel satisfied there was never a plan for anybody to bring a gun to school or anything close to that.”

Police first learned of the rumor on Thursday night, Dec. 20, at approximately 9 or 9:30 p.m., Navarre said. Grand County Sheriff’s deputies and city police investigated the rumor that evening and continued to follow up on Friday morning, Navarre said.

Several other schools in Utah also saw stepped-up police presence on Friday due to similar rumors. The Cache School District closed Mountain Crest High School in Hyrum and increased security at other schools in the district after receiving a report that a student was overheard saying he would bring a gun to Mountain Crest High on Friday. Police were also at Syracuse, Copper Hills and West Jordan high schools on Friday, although no threats had been substantiated, according to reports from various news outlets throughout the state.

Earlier in the week, two students at Roosevelt Junior High School were taken into custody after one of them threatened to bring a gun to school because he was angry with a teacher, according to a report on KSL news in Salt Lake City.

At about 9 a.m. on Friday, parents with students enrolled in Grand County Schools received an automated phone message through the school district’s ParentLink system informing them the district was aware of the rumored threat. A short time later, a second message was sent saying the rumor had been investigated and it was unfounded.

Navarre said that even though police knew Friday morning that the rumor was false, he and Grand County Sheriff Steve White felt it was important to have officers posted at the schools. Officers also were present at school sanctioned events throughout the district and followed school buses along their routes at the end of the day, he said.

“In light of everything going on, I thought it best that we be on hand ...,” Navarre said. “We just had a big presence, mostly to make sure people felt safe and comfortable.”
Share This Article |
similar stories

Moab's dancing ‘stars’ take the stage for annual MVMC fundraiser | 6 days ago by Molly Marcello
The Times-Independent

Colorado Grand Auto Tour rolls into Moab Sept. 14 | 20 days ago

Grand places fifth in first 2016 season mountain bike race | 20 days ago by Jeff Richards
The Times-Independent

City approves $34,000 in legal fees for investigation involving police dept. | 13 days ago by Molly Marcello
The Times-Independent

Businessman plans affordable housing for newly annexed property on 400 East | 27 days ago by Molly Marcello
The Times-Independent


Copyright 2013 The Times-Independent. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

report abuse...

Express yourself:

We're glad to give readers a forum to express their points of view on issues important to this community. That forum is the “Letters to the Editor.” Letters to the editor may be submitted directly to The Times-Independent through this link and will be published in the print edition of the newspaper. All letters must be the original work of the letter writer – form letters will not be accepted. All letters must include the actual first and last name of the letter writer, the writer’s address, city and state and telephone number. Anonymous letters will not be accepted.

Letters may not exceed 400 words in length, must be regarding issues of general interest to the community, and may not include personal attacks, offensive language, ethnic or racial slurs, or attacks on personal or religious beliefs. Letters should focus on a single issue. Letters that proselytize or focus on theological debates will not be published. During political campaigns, The Times-Independent will not publish letters supporting or opposing any local candidate. Thank you letters are generally not accepted for publication unless the letter has a public purpose. Thank you letters dealing with private matters that compliment or complain about a business or individual will not be published. Nor will letters listing the names of individuals and/or businesses that supported a cause or event. Thank you letters about good Samaritan acts will be considered at the discretion of the newspaper.