Decatur school implements lock-down

DECATUR — A trespasser triggered the Decatur High School’s recently-implemented lock-down procedure on Friday morning.

An unidentified man who lives near the school came on the high school campus - to the gym and agricultural building - asking for money, according to an email from Decatur superintendent Larry Ben.

A teacher reported the man to the office, and high school principal Deborah Coffer implemented lock-down procedures until it was confirmed the man was not a threat, he wrote.

The man was later identified as John Roberts, 34, of Decatur, according to Decatur Police Officer Jeannie Yates.

Yates found the man talking on his cell phone at the apartment complex across the road from the school and issued him a warning for criminal trespass.

The school was under lockdown for about 10 minutes,Ben said. The Decatur school has always had a safety and lock-down plan in place, but since the Sandy Hook School shooting in Newton, Conn., last month, the school has worked to make the plan more specific and to make sure teachers are aware of the steps they should take, Coffer said.

“We have safety protocols in place with varying levels of caution, from drug task force to dangerous intruder,” said Coffer. “These measures have been put in place to ensure the safety of our students should a potential threat arise. I feel like the teachers and other staff members did an excellent job in following the set protocol for the lock-down.”