Local law enforcement officials confirmed Tuesday afternoon that the “suspicious person” who prompted two Grinnell schools to go into lockdown that morning did not commit a criminal act. This “suspicious person” was not a student in the Grinnell-Newburg Community School District. “At no time was public safety jeopardized,” wrote Chief of Police Dennis Reilly in a news release. Charges will not be filed.
The Grinnell-Newburg Community School District was warned of a ‘suspicious person’ near the High School around 8:40 a.m. on Tuesday, March 3. “That caused concern for campus safety,” Superintendent Janet Stutz said in a statement. “In collaboration with law enforcement, a decision was made to use our lockdown protocol to ensure the safety of students and staff while police investigated.”
After being called to the scene, law enforcement cleared and swept the high school to investigate and verify that the scene was safe.
The lockdown was lifted at 9:33 a.m., according to Reilly — just under an hour from the initial report.
“We do not feel that this situation will result in any threat to our student body,” Stutz said. “I’m extremely proud of the way our staff responded to the incident. … When it comes to student safety, the district will always error [sic] on the side of caution.”
