A Georgia man is in custody following an incident near the Chillicothe Middle School that included a brief lockdown. The Chillicothe Police Department received complaints of a man acting suspiciously by swinging knives and scissors in his hands on his property, which is connected to the Chillicothe Middle School. Officers received information of a disturbance that had occurred on the property with a mental health worker which furthered their investigation and concern for the safety of children.
The Chillicothe Police Department applied for and received a mental health evaluation order from a Livingston County Judge.
Chillicothe Police Chief Jon Maples says at approximately 12:10 Wednesday afternoon, Officers contacted the Middle School Resource Officer, and the building was locked down. Officers then served the warrant in the 1400 block of Polk Street.
It was for safety and he supports the lockdown.
Once officers made contact, the man barricaded himself inside of a garage. Officers surrounded the garage with patrol vehicles and staff for the safety of the area. The report states that previously a school teacher advised that they believed the man to be in possession of a gun. Officers quickly had the man exit the garage, and safely took the 52-year-old Georgia man into custody without further incident. Chief Jon Maples says Officers worked with the School Resource Officer and staff to gain further information and continue to work the investigation into potential criminal charges.
Maples says “We want to make it clear that there was no gun on the premises, but we seized the scissors and an ax which were mentioned and caused alarm to school staff. This did not occur on school property. This occurred on private property adjoining the school property.”
Maples says the Chillicothe Police Department takes school and student safety very seriously.
The student and staff safety is their main objective.
He says once the information was gathered, “we acted in an expeditious manner so our school could resume proper activities.”
The man is currently on a 96-hour mental evaluation hold and his identity has not been released. The department will forward information to the prosecuting attorney for consideration of charges.
