Chatham-Kent police apparently have no one in custody for a bogus shooting threat Friday at Ursuline College Chatham, but they did arrest a guy who was protesting near the school recently.
In a strange media release, police say they pieced together information regarding the man who was spotted protesting 13 days ago – Oct. 20 – near UCC.
At the time, officers looked into the matter, identified the man involved, but police say there was no “credible threat to the school.”
More information related to that protest day circulated on social media in the days that followed. As is often the case with social media, “unverified claims began to circulate throughout the school community,” police say.
Then last Friday, the report of a possible shooting threat at UCC surfaced online. Officers investigated and, according to C-K police, “the investigation determined there was no immediate threat to the school and no individual posing a danger on school property. Police did not identify a credible threat against Ursuline College Chatham.”
However, while hunting down the source of the shooting threat, officers did gain additional information about the Oct. 20 protestor and his actions and interactions near the school.
As a result, a 37-year-old Chatham male was arrested and charged with three counts of failing to comply with a prohibition regarding children by attending school grounds, contrary to court-ordered conditions prohibiting him from being on school property; two counts of failing to comply with a prohibition regarding children by using the Internet or social media, contrary to court-ordered conditions prohibiting him from accessing digital networks; and three counts of failing to comply with a prohibition regarding children by communicating with a youth and using electronic devices, contrary to court-ordered conditions restricting contact and communication with persons under the age of 16.
Police stressed the charges are not related to a credible threat against the school.
