Baker County Officials reiterate that they take school shooting and bomb threats seriously
By Shannon Weidemann (McKone) on Friday, September 27th, 2024 in Northeastern Oregon News Northeastern Oregon Top Stories
BAKER COUNTY – (Release provided by Baker County Officials noted at end of story) Since 2020, there have been 208 school shootings in the United States. The shooters have come from a variety of backgrounds. Some of the shooters are rich and others are poor. The shooters are of different races, religions, etc. Some of the shooters are unknown to law enforcement, because they have never been in trouble before. Other shooters are well known to law enforcement. Thus, it is extremely difficult for law enforcement to determine a potential shooter’s intent, before it may be too late.
Therefore, as the heads of local law enforcement, the schools, the juvenile department, and the prosecutor’s office, it is our responsibility to ensure that we take potential school shootings and bomb threats seriously. A thorough and swift investigation is needed, so that the person who made the threat can be arrested to ensure the safety of our students.
If the evidence is present to support the charge of Disorderly Conduct in the First Degree then that individual will be arrested, and they will be charged.
Disorderly Conduct in the First Degree states in part: A person has the intent to cause public inconvenience, annoyance or alarm, or knowing creates a risk thereof, and that person initiates or circulates a report, knowing it to be false, regarding an alleged impending fire, explosion, catastrophe or other emergency, and that event is supposed to occur in or upon a public building.
If someone commits the crime of Disorderly Conduct in the First Degree, then to ensure that the safety issue is no longer there, then that person will be arrested and lodged in the jail or a juvenile facility. It does not matter if the individual was joking, having a bad day, was participating in a social media challenge, or did it on a dare. If the evidence of the crime of Disorderly Conduct in the First Degree is present, then that individual will be arrested.
Our duty is to ensure the safety of our children and we take that responsibility very seriously.
District Attorney Greg M. Baxter
Baker 5J School Superintendent Casey Hallgarth
Sheriff Travis Ash
Chief Ty Duby
Lieutenant Dave Aydelotte
Juvenile Department Director Staci Erickson
