Video surveillance image shows suspect intruder at Columbus school. Police seek identity
Johnson Elementary School’s administration showed employees this video surveillance image of the suspect who entered the school Sept. 7 without permission and caused a security concern:
Sept. 8, the Ledger-Enquirer asked Muscogee County School District officials to confirm the security breach, explain what happened and how MCSD responded.
MCSD Police Chief Greg Arp replied with the following in a Sept. 12 email to the L-E:
“Regarding your message last week, on September 08, 2022, an unidentified and unauthorized female was able to gain access to Johnson Elementary,” Arp wrote. “She was immediately confronted and escorted to the front office and off campus by school administrators. There was no immediate threat to the students or staff, and District protocols were followed to mitigate the situation. MCSDPD is currently working to identify the individual. No charges have been filed at this time.”
Since the L-E broke the news with its original Sept. 13 story, the L-E has learned that the intrusion actually happened Sept. 7.
Arp and MCSD communications director Kimberly Wright haven’t answered the L-E’s questions seeking more details and explanations about the security breach.
“According to Chief Arp, we can confirm the incident occurred on September 7th, 2022, not the 8th,” Wright wrote in an email Wednesday morning to the L-E. “The incident at Johnson Elementary is still under investigation, therefore we will not make further comments until the case is closed or an arrest is made.”
Wednesday afternoon, Wright wrote in another email to the L-E, “According to Chief Arp, a woman entered the building behind a teacher and was immediately confronted, interviewed, and escorted off campus by school administrators. Law enforcement was present on campus. Based on the interview, no charges were filed. There was no immediate threat to students or staff.”
If you know the name of the suspect or have any other information to share about this case, call the MCSD police department at 706-748-2743.
This story was originally published September 14, 2022 at 11:57 AM.
