Osawatomie police received word yesterday, May 7th, that a parent of an elementary student was having a mental crisis. The parent lives in Ottawa, but had made statements about going to Osawatomie to see his child at Trojan Elementary. Out of an abundance of caution, Osawatomie Police placed the school on a modified lockdown until officers were able to make contact with the person and check on his mental state. With the assistance of the Ottawa Police Department, the person’s residence was located in Ottawa. Contact was not made, but all indications are that they never left the house.
There have been questions within the Osawatomie community on why the school didn’t notify parents of the modified lockdown. Osawatomie Police Chief David Stuteville says that during the early stages of the investigation, they instructed the school not to send out notification until they had more information. He says sharing information with the public prematurely can sometimes cause unnecessary panic and jeopardize the safety of the children and hurt the integrity of a possible criminal case.
He says he understands the concern of not being notified, but the safety of the children came first. He emphasized that at no time were the children at Trojan Elementary in any danger. He says he is hopeful the person in question can be located and get the help they need.
