Wilton Police have released more information on the trespassing incident that occurred at Wilton High School on Tuesday, Feb. 27.
The move follows a related re-examination of the incident and subsequent information release by Wilton Public School officials. On Wednesday, Feb. 28, GOOD Morning Wilton published an interview with Superintendent of Schools Kevin Smith in which he shed more light on the incident; at Thursday evening’s (Feb. 29) Board of Education meeting, Smith read a statement acknowledging that the school’s response to the security breach could have been handled better.
Friday’s news release from the Wilton Police offers more details about the timeline and steps taken by school officials and police officers on scene. It also provides more background information about the juvenile non-student who allegedly entered the school without authorization through a locked back door opened by an enrolled student — and reveals that the juvenile was referred to Juvenile Court.
Timeline
According to the release, Wilton Police dispatch received a phone call at approximately 10:28 a.m. from a school employee who reported that “a juvenile not enrolled at Wilton High School had entered the building and school staff were actively attempting to locate the juvenile.”
School Resource Officers (SRO) responded, arriving at WHS at 10:33 a.m. and were told by school staff that a juvenile non-student was let into the building by a juvenile student. The release states that both the SROs and school staff began to look for both juveniles involved, and also communicated “a description of the trespassing juvenile non-student to patrol officers in the area.”
According to the release, a Wilton Police patrol officer located and detained the juvenile non-student in the area of the Allen’s Meadow field without incident, at 10:43 a.m.
Police said the parent of the juvenile was “on scene” by that time, and the SROs escorted the parent to the Allen’s Meadow field.
At 11:12 a.m. the police officers released the juvenile non-student to the parent’s custody.
At approximately 12 p.m., Wilton Police detectives went to the juvenile’s residence to conduct follow-up investigation.
Since then, police say they have performed further investigation, including additional interviews and a review of video surveillance collected from Wilton High School. After establishing “sufficient probable cause,” the release said the juvenile non-student “was referred to Juvenile Court for a delinquent act” on Thursday, Feb. 29.
GOOD Morning Wilton has asked for further clarification on what charges, if any, have been filed and if the juvenile was arrested as part of this case.
Social Media Posts and Community Discussion
The news alert also addressed the ongoing discussion within the wider Wilton community regarding the incident and the juvenile who officials said entered the school without authorization.
Referring to a post made on Facebook Tuesday morning that referred to a “gunman in Wilton High School” the release said investigators have found “no evidence that the juvenile non-student had any intent to commit further crimes beyond trespassing while inside the building.”
According to the release, the social media post in question was posted after the juvenile non-student had already been located and detained by officers.
In the news release, the police discouraged making such posts online. “The Wilton Police Department would like to remind the community that contacting 9-1-1 or our non-emergency line (203.834.6260) to report or inquire about activity that may be a police matter is a more responsible means rather than posting uncorroborated information to social media.”
Referred to Other “Screenshots”
The news alert referred to other “social media screenshots” being circulated online by people who are discussing the incident. The release did not specifically state that the screenshots are photos of the juvenile in question or related to the WHS trespassing incident.
The release said that the screenshots being circulated “are nearly two years old” and that police investigated them at the time. The images show “objects of concern”.
“The objects depicted in the posts that are rightfully a cause for concern were seized at the time of that investigation and determined to be facsimiles. They have since been destroyed by our Department,” the release states.
Editor’s note: GOOD Morning Wilton has been forwarded several screenshots alleged to be the individual involved in this incident, at least one of which shows a juvenile male holding what appears to be an automatic firearm.
GOOD Morning Wilton has reached out to the police department’s Public Information Officer, Lt. Anna Tornello, for clarification and additional information on these images.
As a final statement, the release reaffirms the Wilton Police Department’s commitment to the public’s safety.
“The safety and security of our entire Wilton community is paramount to our purpose, our schools in particular. The Wilton Police Department has and continues to enjoy a strong partnership with our Board of Education in ensuring a safe and secure education environment so that students are available to learn and thrive. That said we understand the level of concern an incident like this may bring. We are committed to continuing to work in partnership with our schools and our entire community to maintain safe and supportive schools.”
GOOD Morning Wilton has reached out to Police officials for additional information and clarification, and we will update the story accordingly.
The more I read and hear about this matter the more dismayed and frustrated I am. The aftermath is as challenging to digest and deal with as the initial incident. Remarks and action from the school district to law enforcement is very disquieting.
The community and its social media hype… to the official double speak.
This isn’t transparent communication, this is questionably productive and arguably shameful.
Are there any legal consequences for the misinformation and outright lies posted on Facebook? Or is the individual(s) shielded from accountability by the First Amendment?