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Juvenile Who Caused Lockdown Will Appear In Court Friday

Last updated on Thursday, January 31, 2013

(BLOOMFIELD) - The juvenile accused of causing a disturbance at Bloomfield School District last week will continue to be held at a juvenile detention facility in Clay County.

Sabrina Westfall, of the Greene County Daily World reports, Clay County Sheriff's Department Det. James Switzer says the juvenile is being held at a juvenile detention center on a class C felony charge of sexual battery.

The juvenile will officially be charged at the initial hearing Friday.

Bloomfield Town Marshal Kenneth Tharp says there will be charges sent to the Greene County Prosecutor's office, but nothing has been filed locally yet.

Bloomfield schools were on lockdown Friday and Monday as a precautionary measure due to a suspicious 17-year-old male being on the campus Thursday afternoon.

The first interaction was around 1 p.m. on Thursday when the juvenile, whose name has not been released due to his age, tried to gain access to the junior-senior high school.

Superintendent Dan Sichting says Principal David Dean confronted the male, who said he wanted to enroll at the school. He was not allowed access to the building.

The juvenile was allegedly looking for a minor female student, and used her first name when he later told a teacher he was an undercover law enforcement officer, according to Sichting.

The teen was located in an apartment building in Bloomfield on Thursday evening, detained by the Bloomfield Police Department, questioned and released to his mother.

BPD officers searched the home where the juvenile was staying, and found no weapons.

"The juvenile, without access to a weapon, did not pose a specific threat to Bloomfield School District students. Bloomfield School District remained on lockdown procedures, however, due to the possibility of a 'copy cat' event," Sichting wrote in a press release issued Saturday.

Friday afternoon, a Clay County school administrator contacted Dean, who believed the juvenile who had approached Bloomfield School District, had also attempted to enroll at the Clay County school. He also believed the juvenile was the same accused of sexual assault on a minor.

Communication between the administrators and law enforcement officials confirmed the suspicion.

A no trespass order was declared on the juvenile for the Bloomfield School District campus and Bloomfield Park.

Clay County prosecutors obtained a pick-up order. The boy was taken into custody by Bloomfield Police Department on Friday evening, and turned over to the Clay County Sheriff's Department.

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