The Norman Transcript

State/Region

Discussion

December 20, 2012

Gun report prompts closure

By Sean Murphy Associated Press

NORMAN — Oklahoma high school cancels classes following student’s arrest

OKLAHOMA CITY — Officials in a northeast Oklahoma district where a student was arrested last week for allegedly plotting an attack at the high school canceled classes Wednesday after someone reported seeing an armed man near the school.

Superintendent Gary Quinn said Bartlesville public schools will reopen after the holiday break. Officials said a resident reported seeing two men, one of whom had a gun, near the school on Tuesday.

“Not knowing what these individuals were doing and not being able to locate them yet ... we made the decision that it would be in the best interest of our students not to have school today,” Quinn said.

Bartlesville police Capt. Jay Hastings said it’s possible the two men were hunting in a wooded area with a pond behind the school, although he noted hunting within the city limits is illegal.

“Until we locate these two subjects and find out exactly what they were doing, we take it seriously,” Hastings said.

“It may not have been anything to do with the school, but unfortunately they parked on school property,” he added.

The school closures come just days after 18-year-old Bartlesville High School student Sammie Chavez was charged with plotting to shoot classmates and detonate bombs at the school. Chavez, who was arrested the same day as last week’s deadly Connecticut school shooting, remains jailed on $1 million bond.

Bartlesville is about 50 miles north of Tulsa.

Chavez was charged Friday with one felony count of planning to perform an act of violence. Court records do not list an attorney for Chavez, and calls to a number for Chavez listed in court documents went to a recorded message saying the line wasn’t available. A court hearing is scheduled for Jan. 11.

A search of the home where Chavez lived with his mother uncovered a .22-caliber, semi-automatic rifle that had been converted into a “pistol grip type rifle,” according to a search warrant return filed Tuesday.

Police also seized marijuana and drug paraphernalia, two swords, a pair of brass knuckles and notes that Hastings has said were related to a planned attack. The search also revealed photos of several graduating seniors had been cut out of a newspaper insert and placed into a small black photo album, along with drawings entitled “RIP Graveyard” and “Suicidal Timmy.”

Police said no bomb-making materials were found at the home.

For local news and more, subscribe to The Norman Transcript Smart Edition, or our print edition.

Text Only | Photo Reprints
State/Region
  • House panel approves $40M for museum

    OKLAHOMA CITY — A plan to divert $40 million in use taxes over three years to help complete construction of an American Indian Cultural Center and Museum along the banks of the Oklahoma River has cleared a House committee....

    May 21, 2013

  • Tornadoes level homes in Oklahoma

    SHAWNEE — One of several tornadoes that touched down Sunday in Oklahoma turned homes in a trailer park near Oklahoma City into splinters and rubble and sent frightened residents along a 100-mile corridor scurrying for shelter....

    May 20, 2013

  • Legislators unlikely to tackle tax credits

    OKLAHOMA CITY — Despite calls by several Oklahoma legislators to address hundreds of millions of dollars in state tax credits and exemptions for businesses and industries, little has been done....

    May 19, 2013

  • Fallin urges last-minute health care fix

    OKLAHOMA CITY — Gov. Mary Fallin proposed a last-minute legislative change Friday to the state’s Insure Oklahoma program that would direct $50 million in state tobacco taxes to pay for more than 9,000 people who are expected to lose their ...

    May 18, 2013

  • Lawmakers near passage of DNA test bill

    OKLAHOMA CITY — Convicted criminals who maintain their innocence would have a way to seek DNA testing to help prove their cases under a bill that is nearing final passage in the Legislature and would eliminate Oklahoma’s dubious ...

    May 18, 2013

  • 2 found dead in west Tulsa home

    TULSA — Tulsa police say a man and woman have been found in what officers tell reporters may be a murder-suicide....

    May 15, 2013

  • Police find man’s body near creek in Pauls Valley

    PAULS VALLEY — Police in Pauls Valley say officers investigating reports of a fight found a man’s body near Rush Creek....

    May 15, 2013

  • Oklahoma gas prices up 20 cents in past week

    OKLAHOMA CITY — Gas prices across Oklahoma are up sharply during the past week — rising 20 cents per gallon. AAA Oklahoma reports the average price for a gallon of self-serve regular on Tuesday is $3.58 — compared to $3.38 a week ago....

    May 15, 2013

  • Senate OKs $7.1B budget bill

    OKLAHOMA CITY — The Oklahoma Senate gave final legislative approval on Tuesday to a $7.1 billion general appropriations bill to fund state government for the upcoming fiscal year, overcoming the objections of Democrats and some Republicans ...

    May 15, 2013

  • Muldrow removes 10 Commandments

    MULDROW — Plaques displaying the Ten Commandments have been removed from classrooms in the Muldrow School District after its board opted to “honor thy constitution” rather than risk a federal lawsuit....

    May 15, 2013