Perrysburg HS student arrested for possession of a knife, school officials say

PERRYSBURG, Ohio (WTVG) - A Perrysburg High School student was arrested for allegedly bringing a knife to school, according to the principal.

Perrysburg police say on Sept. 5 at approximately 2 p.m., the Perrysburg High School counseling department received a phone call from someone who wished to remain anonymous and said that a PHS student had a knife on him and was threatening people with it.

The PHS Assistant Principal was informed of the report and she went and brought the student back to the office where his property was searched. During the search, school officials recovered a 2.5 inch knife, two black nylon face masks, several playing cards with cryptic writing on them, over two dozen black latex gloves and three flash drives that were packaged in duct tape envelopes with cryptic writing on it. A suspicious tactical pen was also discovered.

Perrysburg Police say the student was then escorted out of the school building to their car. An additional search of the car was conducted and no weapons were found.

In a letter to families, Perrysburg High School Principal Cookson said school administrators began investigating the incident after a community member said a student was exhibiting troubling behavior.

The school than contacted the student’s family and the Perrysburg Police Division. The student was arrested and the district says their family is fully cooperating with the police and school investigations.

The school cannot disclose information about what discipline the student may be facing due to FERPA policies, the principal said.

The letter assured families that the district treats any and all threats seriously and protects students’ rights in the process.

“We are grateful to the community member who shared their concern with the school and the PHS staff member who took the matter seriously and followed our policies and safety plans,” the letter from Principal Cookson read. “We wanted to make sure families were made aware of this situation as soon as we were able while respecting the police investigation. Incidents like this are a good reminder to talk as a family about how important it is when you see something that you know is not safe or is in violation of school rules, to report it.”

The student is currently being held at JDC.