Sioux Center, Iowa — We now have a little more information about an incident that caused a number of schools in Sioux County to go on lockdown on Thursday.
Schools in the Sioux Center, Rock Valley, and Boyden-Hull school districts were placed on lockdown after a threat was found written on a bathroom wall at the Sioux Center High School.
In a phone interview, Sioux Center Police Chief Josh Koedam says that during the investigation, a juvenile was identified and detained. He declined to give further details except to say the juvenile court system has been notified, and the school is handling some of the details. Koedam reiterates that there is no threat. He says he’s grateful for the assistance from the police department as well as the Sioux County Sheriff’s Office and Iowa State Patrol, and that the response was astonishing.
First Update:
Sioux Center, Iowa — Several Sioux County school districts were placed in lockdown on Thursday. According to authorities, a threat was found written on a bathroom wall in the Sioux Center High School referencing a school shooting and mentioning schools in the Rock Valley and Boyden-Hull school districts. Authorities ordered Sioux Center schools and schools in the surrounding communities of Hull, Orange City, and Rock Valley to lock down and secure their buildings. Officials report that there was no active shooter threat, and law enforcement increased their presence at all the affected schools.
Sioux Center Community School Superintendent Gary McEldowny issued a statement saying, “school safety is priority.” He says law enforcement was engaged immediately, and a thorough investigation took place. He says he’s confident the threat has been resolved. No weapons were found. McEldowny says law enforcement will be present to provide assurance to students, staff, and families that our schools are safe.
The Sioux Center Police Department continues to investigate the incident.
(Courtesy fellow Community First Broadcasting station KSOU in Sioux Center)
Original Story:
Sioux Center, Iowa — Details remain few at this hour, but we have received a statement from the Sioux Center Police Department regarding a situation at Sioux Center Community School District schools.
It reads:
“The Sioux Center Police Department is responding to a threat discovered in the Sioux
Center Community School District high school building. The school district is in a lockdown in all district
buildings, and the buildings are secured. This is not an active shooter situation. Law enforcement
remains on scene at this time.”
Meanwhile, all of the other schools in Sioux County have been locked down as well. Sioux County Sheriff Jamie Van Voorst says that the Sioux Center Police are investigating a suspect or suspects. He says, “All other schools outside of Sioux Center are locked down as a precaution due to the Sioux Center threat.”
