Authorities in Storm Lake responded to another threat at a public school on Friday, Feb. 2. The Storm Lake Police Department was notified by administrators at the high school that a student had come forward and told them of a 16-year-old male who was making threats. The male subject had allegedly drafted a list of people he wanted to kill and that this document was referenced or shown to other students on Thursday. The juvenile was taken into custody and interviewed on Friday. Officials obtained the list from the suspect and found it included the names of fellow students, faculty, school administrators, family members and referenced law enforcement in general. The investigation revealed the individual had planned to bring a knife to school and attempt to stab to death the targets identified on the list. At approximately 4:20 p.m. that afternoon, a consent search was conducted at a residence on Terrance Street and evidence was seized. The juvenile was charged with threats of terrorism, a class D felony, and was then transported to the Youth Detention Facility in Cherokee pending a court date. Officials credit the willingness of the other student to come forward. “We’ll never really know just what was going to happen in this incident, but it’s clear that the possibilities could have been terrible,” says Asst. Chief of Police, Chris Cole. “This is a good example of people coming forward and providing information that stopped a potential crises. It reinforces that if you see something or hear something, you should say something,” he adds.
