On February 22, 2018, at 2:38 p.m. Twin Falls Police Officers were dispatched to the Magic Valley Alternative High School in the 500 Block of Main Avenue North regarding a possible aggravated assault that occurred several blocks away from the school. Officers learned that two students of Magic Valley Alternative High School had been involved in a verbal argument throughout the day at the school. After school, both students left campus in separate vehicles. It was reported that when the students were stopped at a red light at the corner of 2nd Avenue North and Addison Avenue, a passenger in one of the vehicles (a third juvenile male uninvolved in the verbal argument) approached the vehicle of one of the student’s involved in the argument and brandished a firearm. The victim drove through the light and returned directly to the Magic Valley Alternative High School where he made contact with the School Resource Officer. Additional patrol officers were immediately dispatched to that location. Twin Falls Police Detectives and School Resource Officers were able to identify all parties involved in this event.
One juvenile was taken into custody for conspiracy to commit aggravated assault. A warrant for aggravated assault has been requested for the juvenile who brandished the weapon. At this time, there is no evidence to suggest that any crimes occurred on school grounds. Twin Falls Police Detectives indicate there is no evidence the weapon was taken to school and in possession of students during school hours. As the incident was isolated and directly associated with a specific argument, the Twin Falls Police Department does not perceive there to be a general threat to the public or to student safety at this time.
If anyone in the community has any information regarding this event, please contact Detective Rivers at 208-735-7200. The Twin Falls Police Department wants to take this opportunity to remind the public as well as students to be vigilant of their surroundings and events taking place. If you see or hear something that may be perceived as a threat, call 911, contact a School Resource Officer or trusted adult immediately.
Lieutenant Terry Thueson said, “The Twin Falls Police Department takes the safety of our students and schools very seriously. We have developed a strong partnership with the Twin Falls School District and have implemented one of the strongest School Resource Officer Programs in the State of Idaho. Our School Resource Officers have constant communication with patrol and we encourage patrol officers to walk through our schools regularly to increase police presence on school grounds as much as possible. Additionally, the Twin Falls School District has worked in partnership with us to create an in-depth safety plan and drills students on that safety plan on a regular basis. The School district has also invested significant resources in surveillance equipment that police officers have constant access to.”
The Twin Falls Police Department also wishes to remind our community that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. All further media inquiries into this event should be directed to the Twin Falls County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Spokesperson for the Twin Falls School District, Eva Craner said, “The Twin Falls School District continues to make student safety a top priority. We will continue to work with local law enforcement to ensure that our school campuses are a safe and inviting place for our students.
We want to assure parents and families that in the event of an emergency or threat to our schools, we will communicate with them utilizing our automated phone call, text, and email system as well as posting information on our websites.
School safety is a shared responsibility and we can all take part in protecting our students by being vigilant and reporting any concerns to the proper authorities.”