The Sullivan County District Attorney's Office late Friday filed an application with State Supreme Court/Sullivan County for a temporary extreme risk protection order (ERPO) following threats of violence made by a middle school student in Liberty who attends classes off campus.
On Friday, District Superintendent Patrick Sullivan issued a statement that said:
"Liberty Central School District was made aware of a second concerning statement today, Oct. 21, this time involving a middle school student who attends classes off campus.
The incident was investigated and no credible threat to the safety of students or staff was found. District administrators are taking the appropriate actions in accordance with the school district’s Code of Conduct. We continue to make the safety of our school community a top priority."
The application for the ERPO stated that, during an interview with law enforcement officials on Friday, the student told Village of Liberty Police and the Sheriff's Office that he might "eventually" bring a gun to school because, "I hate these kids."
The application for the order filed with the court on Friday showed that, following a consented search of the student's home, no firearms were found.
Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Monday that courts across the state have issued 1,908 Extreme Risk Protection Orders, more than doubling the number of orders issued since the law became effective on August 25, 2019. That figure was part of a larger announcement about an expansion of New York's "red flag" laws aimed at reducing gun violence.
The extreme risk protection orders are used in situations in which someone threatens harm to themselves and/or others.
(THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY)