All Though Protocol was Followed, Neillsville School District Admits they Should Have Been More Forthcoming Regarding Threat Inv
Monday, June 3rd, 2019 -- 1:09 PM
-All though protocol was followed, the Neillsville School District admits they should have been more forthcoming with residents regarding the investigation of a threat at the district.Neillsville’s District Administrator, John Gaier, provided a clearer picture on what exactly happened in regards to the investigation. It began on Wednesday, May 15th when some students reported over hearing some disturbing statements from another student to a teaching assistant in the high school library. The assistant then reported it to High School Principal Craig Anderson. The students who brought the information to the attention of the principal were questioned and it was determined the level of the threat to the district and students was very low, so any further action would be handled by the district. However, the questioning took place around the time of the lunch hour and the situation began to take a life of its own. Students were talking during the lunch hour and staff members present overheard. It leaked into the community from there. At this point, no report had been made to the administration; it was just adults communicating with one another. At the end of the lunch hour, a community member that employees high school students called the district, stating that students had been saying this individual had made these comment over two months ago in March. This was the first time the district heard about this incident.
At that point, the administration was made aware of the situation and they questioned the student that made the statements. The student cooperated and told the truth about what was said. However, the district determined there was not a threat to the district or the students. But, the student was dismissed from the grounds, as what was said could be considered a criminal conversation, and administration was going to contact the authorities. However, the police had already been contacted by someone from the community and had arrived at the district. The administration then informed them of the situation. During all this, the student in question was under constant supervision of the administration and a parent. Finally, late Thursday and early Friday of that week, the Clark County Sheriff became involved with the investigation. On May 30th, the entire situation was shared from administration to law enforcement and discussion was held on what to do should an incident like this occur again.
Because of how all of this occurred, the Neillsville School District has been criticized for their handling of the situation, as has the Neillsville Police Department. Emails circulating between parents and through the community, and obtained by this station, are accusing the district and the department of not being transparent. Mr. Gaier has admitted that, all though there was no danger to the district and students, they should have worked with law enforcement and provided a release of some kind to the media and the community to make them aware of the situation. He stated that the district will be following slightly different protocol in the future including what the threat level is and when to involve law enforcement. He reminded residents and students that if they see or hear something, they should say something. It can be difficult to investigate a situation if it occurred, as it did in this situation, two months before it brought to the administration’s attention. There is also a very delicate balance that must be followed when it comes to what can be made public and what needs to be kept hidden when it comes to protecting the privacy of students.
Also, some of the emails circulating criticized the police department for pulling over students and residents by the Neillsville School District. They claim it adds unnecessary stress to students and parents and scares them when they see it due to the recent situation at the school. However, it should be noted that the police department has been asked to patrol during high traffic times at the school including drop off and pick up, after practices, after sporting events and other events in order to monitor those that speed through the area. The department has stated that if they’re pulling over someone at the district, it’s for one of those reasons and not because of minor infractions. Their intent is not to scare anyone, but to keep the community and its residents safe.
The Neillsville Police Department and Clark County Sheriff’s Department began investigating as soon as they were aware of the situation, but they too have protocol to follow. It is not uncommon for departments or other entities, like the school district, to deny commenting on open cases. If a case is under investigation, many times the continued confidentiality of the records is material to that investigation. Release of the records while an investigation is still in progress could compromise a department’s ability to gain cooperation from potential witnesses and jeopardize their ability to conduct additional or follow-up interviews or obtain accurate and truthful information in those interviews. It could also expose law enforcement’s strategies in gaining critical information to support the prosecution of the matter.
In the end, a 17-year-old student, Darrin Loberg, has been charged for this incident. Loberg made claims that he was going to shoot students at the school and he had a list of students he was going to shoot. The conversations started around the time of the anniversary of the Columbine school shooting. Some that know Loberg, but wished to remain anonymous, have said that he’s “a good kid” and there were issues with him being bullied. Loberg has been charged with making terrorist threats and disorderly conduct. He's scheduled to be back in court on June 20th.
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