Calhoun Sheriff Releases School Threat, Unlike Mason Sheriff Kim Cole

[XLFD]

On Friday, a serious, violent threat was made on social media towards Springfield Middle School by a seriously upset individual, prompting the Calhoun County, Michigan school to go on lockdown.  But it turned out to be a Springfield Middle School from another state.  Here's that story following the media post that prompted official responses in at least two states:

SPRINGFIELD, MI – A Facebook threat of a school shooting prompted a lockdown Friday at Springfield Middle School before investigators realized the message was meant for a school by the same name in Ohio, authorities said.

"After careful research by the Calhoun County Sheriff's Office, it was confirmed that the threat was actually meant for the Springfield Middle School in Holland, Ohio," investigators said in a  news release.

"Better close school tomorrow im gonna kill everybody I promise especially (name) and his bald headed (expletive)," the Facebook threat said, according to a photo provided by the sheriff's office. "I swear to (expletive) god if you go to Springfield middle school shooting it up tomorrow watch."

Investigators said Calhoun County sheriff's deputies responded to school after learning of the threat and found that the facility was on lockdown.

"After a thorough investigation, it was determined that there was no threat to the school or the community of Springfield, Michigan," investigators said in the news release.

http://www.mlive.com/news/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2016/03/facebook_thre...

Not surprisingly, Springfield Missouri had also been on alert before they too learned it was not them, but Ohio, a threat that was investigated there on Wednesday and turned out not to be credible or viable.   

Although this sequence of events is interesting enough, the reason why I believe this is significant is that the Calhoun County Sheriff did something that Mason County Sheriff Kim Cole has refused to do, even though he is being sued for it:  release a threat made to a local school to the public. 

On January 19, 2016, a bomb threat was alleged to have been intercepted by the principal of Covenant Christian School in Ludington.  A copy of this threat was not made public immediately, and I asked for a copy of it via FOIA the next day, in order to circulate the image around so that the public could help in the identification of the individual who sent it. 

As I noted in Dropping the Bomb and Expecting More, there really is no law enforcement investigation purpose for keeping the E-mail from the public, for the sender would obviously expect police to get the e-mail and be looking for him.  Providing it publicly may have even led to the perpetrator coming forward and claim a misunderstanding.

For the public is still unaware of what exactly was in this e-mail and whether it was a terroristic threat like the Facebook posts above, or whether it was enigmatic like the The MSU Bathroom Stall Glamour Terrorist's scrawlings:

Or something that may have been referential to some sort of game, which kids often participate in and quite often get misunderstood by educators and law enforcers, like how they eat their Pop-tarts and buy bubble guns.  It is very relevant to parents and grandparents in this area who have kids in school and find them expelled; expelled for something that may have been harmless if seen outside of the prism of school bureaucrat's eyes and the zero-tolerance policies they enforce because they feel they have to.

As you may know, I currently have a FOIA lawsuit with the sheriff that had three counts where they violated the FOIA, blatantly; here it is and it's supporting documentation.  Early this week, I amended this lawsuit to cover two more denials:  a resubmission of the Hansen Road incident of July 2015, and a simple request for this bomb threat e-mail. 

Judge Susan Sniegowski is currently reviewing these records and shall soon let the sheriff know what needs to be made available in all five cases.  I am confident that she will follow the same guidelines she used when she was a FOIA Coordinator for 15 months with the City of Ludington, and be pro-disclosure on these records.

Here is the amended portion of the lawsuit and the exhibits for those:  Rotta v. MCSO Amended Complaint.pdf. 

[shinblind]

It will be interesting to see how Judge Susan Sniegowski rules on your FOIA requests. 

I hope she rules in your favor and imposes the maximum monetary judgement against Sheriff Kim"Stonewall" Cole and his Dept. I also hope she publicly admonishes him for the way he sanctimoniously handles FOIA requests as privileged information. It reflects poorly on Cole and Mason County.

 

[Willy]

There should be severe repercussions for Government officials who refuse to release information that is not exempt from a FIOA request. Penalties such as fines, reprimands, dismissal from their positions or even jail time. Holding the public's information hostage and making people jump thru hoops is beyond reprehensible. This continuing failure to release public information must be stopped. It's not easy for citizens to follow up after requested information is denied especially if a lawsuit is the only option left. I say lock them all up until they stop acting like the Communist Party.