Threat at Ottawa High School results in arrest Monday

Online posts threatening action at Ottawa High School resulted in an arrest on Monday.

According to Ottawa Police, the SRO at the school was told of a threat posted online by one student and another student’s warning about the same threat. As it turned out, there was no immediate threat, but USD 290 staff used their automated notification system to notify parents about the ongoing investigation.

A 15-year-old was arrested on Criminal Threat charges and taken to the Franklin County Juvenile Detention Center.

Ottawa Chief Adam Weingartner said, “Exceptional collaboration between USD 290 staff and the SRO resolved this threat quickly and without incident. School safety is one of the department’s highest priorities and we are grateful for having great partners to work with. The department asks that if anyone knows about a threat to immediately report it to police instead of posting a warning to social media.”

Anyone can report threats to schools by calling The Kansas School Safety Hotline at 1-877-626-8203.