On September 22, 2022, at 10:14AM, the Berwick Police Department, along with the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office, responded to the Berwick High School concerning a threatening message that was written on a desk inside of a classroom. Law enforcement officials arrived on scene and immediately began investigating the origin of the message. Through investigation, two 14-year-old students were identified as being responsible for writing the message on the desk. Both students were interviewed and both admitted to their role in writing on the desk.
Following the interviews, both students were placed under arrest on the charge of Terrorizing and processed at the Berwick Police Department. They were released to their parents pending juvenile court proceedings. It is important to note that based upon the findings of the investigation, the threat was deemed as not credible and the school was not in any danger during the day. Furthermore, this incident was not related to the active shooter threats that occurred later in the evening at all Berwick schools, as well as the other schools throughout the parish and state.
The parish has been plagued with school related threats, rumors, and hoaxes over the week. The Berwick Police Department remains committed to ensuring the safety of our schools, faculty, and students, and will investigate all complaints of this nature vigorously. Anyone who makes threats that compromise the safety of our schools will be arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Chief David Leonard thanks the Berwick Volunteer Fire Department, the St. Mary Parish Sheriff’s Office, the Morgan City Police Department, and the school administration for their assistance in this matter.