March 28, 2024

Authorities capture Iowa student amid lockdowns

SIOUX CITY — A 16-year-old student suspected of bringing a gun to his school in northwest Iowa was taken into custody Wednesday following a search for him that included a helicopter.

The student was found walking on a rural road and was captured without incident, the Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office said. A resident following news of the search contacted authorities after spotting someone matching the teen’s description.

The student is accused of bringing a handgun to Siouxland Community Christian School in Sioux City on Tuesday, according to sheriff’s Maj. Todd Wieck. He also is accused of making threats to students, though additional information was not available.

School officials contacted the sheriff’s office Wednesday morning, which led to the lockdown of Siouxland Community Christian and two other schools where the student had ties. Officials at the nearby Kingsley-Pierson Community School District also placed their facilities on precautionary lockdown.

“From the point we found out about it this morning, to the time we finally located him ... it was a pretty quick resolution to this considering the amount of territory we had to cover,” Wieck said.

Wieck said the student was considered armed and dangerous because the handgun he allegedly brought to school was unaccounted for at the time of the search. It has since been recovered.