2 people detained at Denton high schools after threats force police to lock down campuses
Two people were detained Wednesday after high schools in Denton were placed on lockdown when authorities received anonymous threats about the campuses, police said.
Denton police said in an update shortly after noon Wednesday that lockdowns have been lifted on all campuses. “After a thorough investigation and numerous searches, no credible threat or weapons were found,” police said in a Facebook post. “Investigators believe the threats were a hoax, and interviews with the detained individuals are ongoing.”
One person was detained at Denton High School and another person was taken into custody at Denton Ryan High School, police said on social media.
Police did not provide the ages of those detained or comment on whether they were students at the schools.
More arrests could be made or others could be detained because the investigation is ongoing, Denton police said.
A lockdown at Guyer High, as well as lockouts at Calhoun Middle and Newton Rayzor Elementary, were lifted earlier, police said.
Denton police said Wednesday that the threats were called into Denton’s dispatch center Wednesday morning. The threats were against Denton and Ryan high schools. Police have not released details of what the caller said when making the threats.
Those two high schools and Denton Guyer High were placed on lockdown out of an abundance of caution as authorities investigated, police said. The lockdown started shortly before 10 a.m.
There was a heavy police presence at all three high schools, and a Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter circled overhead.
The Denton Record-Chronicle reported that Calhoun Middle School and Newton Rayzor Elementary School also went on lockout because of their proximity to Denton High.
Denton ISD sent an email to parents saying the police department received an anonymous call with a threat toward Denton and Ryan high schools, the Record-Chronicle reported.
“Students and staff are currently safe in class,” the email stated. “We are asking parents to refrain from coming to campus at this time.”
Denton police also asked residents to stay away from the schools.
This story was originally published January 19, 2022 at 10:24 AM.
