North Mason school thwarts threat, two students arrested

Matt Baide | Dec 16, 20210

Two students at Hawkins Middle School have been arrested after being overheard talking about plans to bring guns to school and kill people.

According to the Mason County Sheriff’s Office, Hawkins Middle School staff investigated, and the two students involved were placed under emergency expulsion and released to their parents or guardians. Deputies and detectives were notified and interviewed witnesses to the conversation and established probable cause to arrest the two students for felony harassment.

Detectives and deputies went to the students’ residences and were taken into custody without incident and booked into Mason County Juvenile Detention Center in Shelton.

“MCSO commends the quick action by the alert students who contacted adults and notified them of what they had overheard, possibly averting a tragic incident,” Patrol Division Chief Ryan Spurling wrote to the Journal in an email.

North Mason School District superintendent Dana Rosenbach said students overheard a discussion and reported it immediately. She said staff and administrators took the appropriate actions and imposed the appropriate discipline.

“They did really good work to ensure the safety of students in our school,” Rosenbach told the Journal. “I’m really glad that everybody did what they did and really proud of our students and staff in how they handled the situation. Everyone did exactly what we’d like to do to ensure the safety of our staff.”

According to a news release, there was no immediate danger to any student or staff. The release states there are procedures in place to handle the situation with little disruption to other students in the building.

“We take all threats seriously and feel it is important to take a moment to speak to your children about the consequences of their actions and words,” reads the email. “Please discuss this incident with your children and emphasize the importance of telling school staff or parents if they feel something they heard or read seems threatening to a student or the school. In this way, we are all working together to keep our schools safe.”