Opelika man, 23, shuts down high school pretending to be ‘new student’
Don’t go back to high school if you don’t have to, or you’ll scare people.
A 23-year-old man from Opelika, Ala., thought it would be funny to accompany two students to Cleburne County High School in Helflin, but it was not.
The Associated Press reports Samuel Blackwell went there Tuesday with two friends, and when confronted by the principal, claimed he was a new student.
Then he caused a lockdown by running away, prompting the school to call police and initiate a campus search.
He is charged with burglary and interfering with government operations. His companions face charges for aiding him in what they say was just a prank.
Some parents on Facebook complained that they were not immediately notified, prompting Heflin Police Chief A.J. Benefield to post this to the department’s page shortly after 6 p.m. Tuesday:
“I've read a lot of negative post on Facebook about how some parents disagree with how the Cleburne County High School Teachers and Administrators handled the situation today involving the Burglar (Student Impersonator) in the School. Well, Let me tell you what Heflin Police Department witnessed first hand, not hear say or Facebook rumors. We witnessed Teachers and Administrators Identify a Possible Threat. Immediately upon identifying the possible Threat, they all took immediate actions for the safety of all students and Falculty. Some Teachers and Falculty even help Law Enforcement by running down a Suspect and detaining him. There's not time to make a bunch of phone calls, when you have to take swift immediate action, and make split second decisions. Information about whats going on will be released at the first chance, but only after every Student and Falculty member are Safe, and the entire Cleburne County Schools Campuses are Secure. The Brave Actions taken today by CCHS School Falculty made us at Heflin Police Department know that their number one priority is our kids. GREAT JOB CCHS Falculty and Superintendent Chad Young!”
Commenters on the department’s Facebook page also praised school faculty and police.
This story was originally published March 16, 2017 at 12:57 AM with the headline "Opelika man, 23, shuts down high school pretending to be ‘new student’."