Kristen Thompson, a 38-year-old teacher from Durham, North Carolina, has been arrested and charged for allegedly threatening to “shoot up” an elementary school in Hillsborough.
According to officials with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, Thompson — a teacher Pathways Elementary School in Hillsborough — was arrested on Tuesday, May 21, for allegedly making a threat to “shoot up” the school that she worked at. Thompson had previously abruptly resigned from the school on Friday, May 17.
North Carolina police say that in addition to threatening the shooting, Thompson allegedly warned three of her fellow teachers that “she’d signal them with a message to get out of the school,” according to WRAL.
Following her arrest, Thompson was officially charged with a felony charge of communicating a threat of mass violence. After her arrest, Thompson was released on a $1,000 secured bond and is scheduled to appear in court on Friday, June 14.
In an official statement released through a press release, Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood called Thompson’s alleged threats “understandably unsettling for the community.”
“This situation is being handled by law enforcement with the safety of our students and school staff as our utmost concern. Meanwhile, this situation is also being dealt with by school leadership as a personnel issue as well as a safety one,” the statement begins.
“A threat of school violence is understandably unsettling for the community. Please know that the school and law enforcement are working together as a team to ensure the last few weeks of the school year are safe and productive for our students,” the statement from Sheriff Charles Blackwood concluded.
Authorities have since asked anyone who believes they may have additional information about the case to contact the Orange County Sheriff’s Office at 919-245-2900.
That is all the information that is available at this time. This article will be updated with new and relevant information should it become available at any time. If there is anything that we missed, please feel free to send an email to editor@teamcoed.com and we will respond as soon as possible.
