Indiana teacher with 'kill list' charged with intimidation
EAST CHICAGO, Ind. (AP) — A fifth-grade teacher at a school in northwestern Indiana was charged with felony intimidation Friday after allegedly telling a student she had a “kill list” of students and staff, authorities said.
Angelica Carrasquillo, 25, of Griffith communicated “a threat to commit murder," Lake County court documents said.
Officials at her school, St. Stanislaus in East Chicago, immediately confronted her and escorted her from the building once they learned of the threat Wednesday afternoon, the Diocese of Gary said in a message to parents.
When Carrasquillo was asked Wednesday why she wanted to kill herself and others, she reportedly told school officials, “I’m having trouble with my mental health, and sometimes the kids do not listen in the classroom. I also have trauma caused when I went to high school.”
It wasn't clear whether Carrasquillo has an attorney who might comment on the allegations against her.
The threats came to light when a counselor overhead a fifth-grader say while being escorted to her classroom for recess detention, “I heard Ms. Carrasquillo wants to kill herself and has a list.”
The student reportedly said Carrasquillo voiced the threat to him directly and told the student he was on the list.
The principal and an assistant principal said Carrasquillo gave them the name of one student on the “kill list,” but she did not reveal all the names, a court document said.
Carrasquillo allegedly told school officials “she was only joking about it all.”
Classes were held remotely Friday, and students were offered access to a school counselor, the diocese said.
“We are deeply saddened by this event,” the diocese said. “School safety is a paramount concern of our schools.”
East Chicago police said they are obtaining an emergency detention order for the teacher from the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office. She was taken into custody at her home Thursday morning.
She was not in custody Friday, online court records showed.
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