Article content A 13-year-old male has been arrested and charged with uttering threats against students at a northwestern Alberta school. Clairmont RCMP received a call on June 4 around 11:30 p.m. The person calling reportedly said a student was threatening to bring a firearm to an unnamed Sexsmith school, 21 kilometres north of Grande Prairie, and hurt other students.
Recommended Videos A town with a population of approximately 2,500 people, Sexsmith has three schools – two with the Peace Wapiti School Division and one with the Grande Prairie and District Catholic Schools. RCMP said they identified a 13-year-old suspect following interviews with students, and subsequently seized a firearm found at a residence and charged the teenager. Uttering threats is a Criminal Code of Canada charge and carries a a maximum sentence of five years for adults.
For youths aged 12 to 17, the legal process falls under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Parents whose children attend local schools were vocal about a lack of information and a need for them to find more on social media. An anonymous poster on a Sexsmith social media page – who claimed to be a student at one of the local schools – shared their experience of the incident online.
As they arrived at school, the poster said students had been greeted at the door by teachers. It was unusual and they were concerned, wrote the poster. After asking teachers what was happening, they were told there were safety concerns of a similar nature to the deadly shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School in British Columbia on February 10, when 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar killed six students.
S/Sgt. Matthew Short, detachment commander at Clairmont RCMP, thanked the public for alerting them to the issue. “Our members acted swiftly to gather information regarding this potential school threat” said Short.
“We took this threat seriously and partnered up with the school in order to handle this investigation in a quick and decisive way.” Parents on the community page were vocal about their fears and the lack of information coming from the affected school. At least one confirmed they refused to send their children to school until there was more information. Peace Wapiti Public School Division, via their Facebook page at 1:45 p.m.
on June 5, informed parents they were made aware of threats against the school earlier that day. “As we take all reports seriously, we immediately enacted our established safety protocols and have been working in close collaboration with local law enforcement and community partners to investigate,” the post stated. It further stated the matter was being investigated by local law enforcement, and that based on information they had, there was no continuing threat.
“Because this matter is under active review, we are unable to provide specific details. However, please be assured that all concerns are thoroughly assessed to ensure our buildings remain secure,” the post stated. Bookmark our website and support our journalism:Don’t miss the news you need to know — add EdmontonJournal.com and EdmontonSun.com to your bookmarks and sign up for our newsletters here.
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