A false social media post that caused widespread panic at Barton Junior High School last week may have stemmed from an ongoing dispute between students, police said.
Megan C. Hall, 28, of the 500 block of Beverly Drive, is scheduled for a first appearance hearing Monday in 35th Judicial District Court on a felony charge of communicating a false alarm.
Hall was arrested Friday after she was identified as the person who posted a social media message alleging that a shooting had occurred at BJHS.
Word about the message spread just before classes convened for the day, prompting a flood of phone calls to the school and concerned parents and guardians to check 100 children out of school, police and El Dorado School District Superintendent Jim Tucker said.
BJHS is across the street from the El Dorado Police Department and by 7:45 a.m., officers had secured the campus and determined that a shooting had not occurred.
While investigating the incident, police learned that Hall’s post may have been tied to an incident that had occurred two days earlier in which a 14-year-old BJHS student was found injured in the 600 block of Marrable Hill.
On Aug. 21, officers received information about a male juvenile lying in the street in the area.
The complainant said the male, later identified as the 14-year-old boy, was foaming at the mouth, had several marks on his face and was lethargic.
He said the boy told him he had been jumped.
The boy was transported by ambulance to Medical Center of South Arkansas, where he told police that he was struck in the back of the head shortly after he got off the school bus.
He identified three other boys with whom he had exited the bus, telling police he did not remember much else about the incident.
The boy’s mother told officers that the boy “had been having problems for awhile now” with the other boys he had named.
According to a police report, the boy’s mother said she has “run (the other boys) off” on several occasions.
The information was forwarded to School Resource Officers for further investigation, according to a police report.
While probing the false alarm Friday at BJHS, police said they spoke with the mothers of two of the boys that had been identified by the 14-year-old boy.
The women said the social media post may have been referencing a fight that had occurred Aug. 21 between their sons and three other boys, including the 14-year-old.
Police learned that one of the boys who was involved in the incident had posted comments and photo of a gun on Instagram, indicating that he was going to retaliate against one of the boys who had allegedly struck the 14-year-old.
The post had been deleted by Friday, according to a police report.
Officers then spoke with the boy who made the social media post and he admitted creating a group message on Instagram, saying that he wanted to fight the boys “for what they did to” the 14-year-old.
He told officers the victim fell to the ground and appeared to have a seizure after being punched.
Police said the victim had not been to school since Aug. 21.
The other boys told police they have been involved in an ongoing dispute for over a year and they have previously fought.
The boys also said they did not know why they were fighting, with one of them telling officers, “We have been in it for so long, we don’t know what we’re into it about.”
No further incidents were reported during the school day Aug. 23.
Shots fired
Police are investigating two, separate incidents in which a juvenile and an adult male reportedly fired shots last week at their father and grandfather, respectively.
On Aug. 23, a woman told officers that her boyfriend and his 14-year-old son got into an altercation and moments later, she heard two gunshots outside the house.
She said one of the bullets grazed her boyfriend in the head, adding that the couple and a friend jumped out a window to dodge the bullets.
Police said the boy had left the residence by the time they arrived.
They said they later located the boy in the 500 block of Petroluem but the boy fled on foot.
Police responded Aug. 20 to a report of a terroristic act at a residence in the 1000 block of West Cook.
A man told police that he told his adult grandson to leave the residence after his grandson began arguing with him.
He said the suspect left the residence and returned a short time later.
The man said he heard what sounded like three gunshots and glass breaking.
While checking out the residence, the man said he found a hole in a window in the back bedroom.
He said the metal frame of the window was damaged, there was a hole in the window blinds and a hole in crown molding near the window.
Police said they were not able to find the suspect.
Tia Lyons may be contacted at 870-862-6611 or [email protected].