Police take one into custody in school threat case

By Brandi Makuski

Stevens Point police say they’ve taken one student into custody during their investigation on a series of threats.

A 15-year-old boy from Ben Franklin Jr. High was taken into custody on Monday, according to Assistant Police Chief Tom Zenner. No further details about the student were immediately released.

In a phone interview with the Metro Wire on Monday, Zenner said he believes additional students have more information, and he’s encouraging them to step forward.

Two separate threats of violence against the junior high were found in bathroom stalls last Thursday. The second threat was found during a police sweep of the building after students left for the day, prompting district officials to cancel classes there on Friday, Dec. 13. The exact nature of those threats hasn’t been released, but Superintendent Craig Gerlach did confirm they both referenced an act of violence on Friday.

Zenner said police are actively investigating both threats at the school, as well as two threats of gun violence, also found written on bathroom stalls, at SPASH, which forced the district to release students there early on Friday.

“We anticipate a referral for a charge of making terroristic threats,” Zenner said on Monday.

Anyone with information about any of the threats is urged to contact Portage County Crime Stoppers at 1-888-346-6600. Information that leads to an arrest may be subject to cash rewards and tipsters can remain anonymous.