Staff report
CLINTON — A 17-year-old South Vermillion High School student was being detained by police Thursday evening for an alleged attempted assault with a knife involving a teacher.
“She was attempting to attack a teacher in a classroom,” said Chris MacLaren, a deputy with the Vermillion County Sheriff’s Department. “The class was already in session and the student rushed in the door and pulled the knife out” and tried to attack the teacher.
No one was injured in the incident, which occurred about 1:50 p.m.
Charges were pending against the student. The Sheriff’s Department was consulting with the county prosecutor to determine whether the case should be pursued in adult or juvenile court, MacLaren said.
He describe the knife as a steak or carving knife with about a 5-inch blade.
The teacher held the student off by using a desk and a projector to “get some space between her and the juvenile,” MacLaren said.
He estimated the incident lasted about five to 10 minutes, and the entire school was placed on lockdown for the rest of the day.
Other high-school staff responded after they heard screams, and students in the classroom used cell phones to dial 911.
Other school staff were able to talk to the student and get her to surrender the knife. The student had kept the knife, and two others, in a bag, MacLaren said.
The two other knives were small folding knives, he said.
The student did not try to injure any students in the classroom, he said.
MacLaren and Detective Mike Phelps continued their investigation early Thursday evening interviewing students and staff to find out what happened and why.
It did not appear that the student had been under the influence of drugs or alcohol, MacLaren said.
