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Belleville high schools closed, arrest made over ‘credible threat’ to students

St. Louis Public Radio | By Ryan Delaney,
Ryan Delaney
Published May 23, 2018 at 11:28 AM CDT
Both Belleville West and East high schools were closed Wednesday after police deemed a threat to students at East High School from another student to be credible.
File | Ryan Delaney | St. Louis Public Radio
Both Belleville West and East high schools were closed Wednesday after police deemed a threat to students at East High School from another student to be credible.

Belleville police arrested a male student Wednesday morning they considered a threat to other Belleville East High School students.

Belleville Township High School Superintendent Jeff Dosier canceled what was supposed to be the last day of school at both East and West campuses around 6:30 a.m. Police notified the district of the threat, which Dosier said police considered to be “credible.”

Just before 8 a.m., Belleville police said they arrested an 18-year-old man they identified only as “Burton.”

Both Belleville West and East high schools were closed Wednesday after police deemed a threat to students at East High School from another student to be credible.
Credit File | Ryan Delaney | St. Louis Public Radio
Both Belleville West and East high schools were closed Wednesday after police deemed a threat to students at East High School from another student to be credible.

According to a police statement, the suspect’s mother notified police early Wednesday that her son was having relationship problems with a girl, a current student at Belleville East High School, and made suicidal comments before leaving the house. She then discovered her handgun missing.

“Information obtained from other individuals disclosed the subject was possibly planning to confront his girlfriend and other students at the East campus,” Belleville police said in a Facebook post. The man was taken into custody without incident.

Other media outlets reported heavy police presence at the high schools this morning. A SWAT team was seen entering the East building, though no students were inside.

Final exams are expected to resume tomorrow, Dosier said.

Follow Ryan on Twitter: @rpatrickdelaney

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Ryan Delaney
Ryan Delaney works on the Innovation Trail project - covering technology, economic development, startups and other issues relating to New York's innovation economy.
See stories by Ryan Delaney
Ryan Delaney
Ryan is a reporter on the education desk at St. Louis Public Radio, covering both higher education and the many school districts in the St. Louis region. He has previously reported for public radio stations WFYI in Indianapolis and WRVO in upstate New York. He began his journalism career working part time for WAER while attending Syracuse University. He's won multiple reporting awards and his work, which has aired on NPR, The Takeaway and WGBH's Innovation Hub. Having grown up in Burlington, Vt., he often spends time being in the woods hiking, camping, and skiing.