Intruder enters Columbus school without permission, sparking questions about security
Update: Muscogee County School District Police Chief Greg Arp told the Ledger-Enquirer in an email that this incident happened Sept. 8. The L-E subsequently learned the it happened Sept. 7. This story has been updated with the correct date.
An unauthorized person breached the security of a Columbus school last week.
The Sept. 7 incident happened at Johnson Elementary School, Muscogee County School District Police Chief Greg Arp confirmed to the Ledger-Enquirer.
An unidentified female entered the school without permission but was “immediately confronted and escorted to the front office and off campus by school administrators,” Arp said in an email to the L-E.
“There was no immediate threat to the students or staff, and District protocols were followed to mitigate the situation.”
The incident occurred amid heightened concern about school security in the wake of the May 24 shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 children and two adults were killed after a gunman entered the school through an unlocked door.
Arp didn’t answer the L-E’s questions for more details about the incident and MCSD’s response before publication, but he did say the district’s police department is “working to identify the individual” and that no charges had been filed in the case yet.
This story was originally published September 13, 2022 at 11:42 AM.
