UPDATE: Details behind the arrest of a teen charged with threatening a high school

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) — An arrest citation from the Lexington Police Department reveals the details behind the tip sent to the STOP tip-line by an anonymous student that led to the arrest of Timothy Felker for threatening Paul Laurence Dunbar High School.

The student stated “He owns a gun and constantly talks about killing himself/shooting up the school. He tells specific people that he would shoot them first and then shoot up the class room.”

The citation also says that police visited Felker’s home where they interviewed his mother. She stated she heard Felker make threats before about shooting up the school, but it was before he purchased a rifle.

Police say Felker’s mother agreed to give detectives the rifle and approximately 500 rounds of ammunition.

By working together with Fayette County Public Schools Law Enforcement, the FBI and the Sheriff’s Office, Lexington Police have charged the 18 year-old with Terroristic Threatening 2^nd degree, which carries a possible sentence of 1-5 years in jail.

Mayor Jim Gray and Superintendent Manny Caulk said the case demonstrates the importance of community members working together to keep schools safe.

“This is an example of best practices in action,” Caulk said. “It’s about connections with students and multi-agency collaboration. The speed at which we’re able to share information is a reflection of the systems we have built to link students, school and district administrators with law enforcement officers at the school, city, and federal level.”

A timeline follows:

• Friday, Feb. 16: administrators at Paul Laurence Dunbar High School learned after school that anonymous reports about Felker had come in through the STOP (Safety Tipline Online Prevention) Tipline. The reports said Felker had made a threat toward the school, school officials said. (Felker has not been back to Dunbar since Feb. 16.)
• Saturday, Feb. 17: Lexington Police were made aware of the reports. Police learned Felker had flown out of town for the weekend.
• Monday, Feb. 19 (President’s Day – school not in session): Felker arrived back in Lexington. He was detained at the Airport.
• Friday, March 2: Felker was booked on a Terroristic Threatening warrant stemming from the threats against the school. He was released on a $5000 bond.
• Monday, March 5: Felker was arraigned before Fayette District Court Judge T. Bruce Bell. He pled not guilty. He was placed on home incarceration with an ankle monitor. He is barred from possessing or buying firearms.

“I commend everyone involved, from the students who shared their concerns, to the adults who took those reports seriously and the multiple law enforcement agencies that worked swiftly to safeguard our students and staff,” Caulk said.

Working together will continue to be a priority for the local police agencies, said Lexington Police Chief Lawrence Weathers. On Sunday, Weathers, the Director of Law Enforcement for Fayette County Public Schools, was officially sworn in as Lexington’s new police chief. Weathers is also a former Assistant Chief of the Lexington Police Department.

“It’s so valuable to have a police chief with experience in our schools and on our streets,” Gray said. “We must support our schools seamlessly when there’s a security problem. In this case, we worked together, and did just that.”

Both Gray and Caulk thanked the person who called the tip line.

“Our students want to be able to learn in safe and welcoming environments,” Caulk said. “We need them to continue to share their concerns with caring adults so that we can take immediate steps to respond. We have protocols to ensure that we take all tips seriously.”

The City and schools plan to keep working together. “This situation underscores the importance of the District Safety Advisory Council, which pulls together students, teachers, parents, principals, district officials, City representatives, community advocates, law enforcement officers, business representatives and faith leaders,” Caulk said. “By bringing everyone into the conversation we will be able to identify specific and actionable strategies to ensure that our schools are the safest places in our community for students.”

The Advisory Council will work throughout the month of March and release its recommendations the first week of April. Gray has said Lexington police officers are ready to help. If school district officials and the Advisory Council decide that stationary metal detectors would benefit schools, Gray said he would ask the city council to provide funds.

—

Media release from the city.