Sunday, October 17, 2010
By Kerry Yancey
Monitor Staff Writer
MABANK–The Mabank High School campus was locked down briefly Wednesday afternoon, reportedly following telephoned threats from a disgruntled parent.
MHS Principal Brad Koskelin and Mabank Police Chief Kyle McAfee met with this reporter to note that nothing out of the ordinary had happened, but the campus was locked down for about 10 minutes around 2:40 p.m.
“It was a non-event,” Koskelin said. “We had a parent call the police over something that happened a week or two ago.
“However, the safety of our students and staff is our first priority, so we activated the protocols already put in place,” he added.
The lockdown went according to script, with no difficulties. “That’s what I was most pleased about,” Koskelin said.
“The police department is following up with some investigation and documenting the incident,” McAfee said. “Everyone did very well on the protocols.”
Rumors were circulating widely Thursday that the MHS campus had been locked down for a second time, but when contacted by telephone, Koskelin said everything was running smoothly.
“The rumor mill is running wild today,” he said. “It’s business as usual here.”
After Wednesday’s meeting at Koskelin’s office, The Monitor was made aware of a separate incident involving a freshman boy, who was deliberately scraped on his neck in a cutting motion with a metal object by a classmate.
The young man was treated by the school nurse, and the youthful attacker was placed in the district’s alternative education campus, according to a parent.
As far as The Monitor has been able to determine, both incidents were not related to each other, although both took place within about a two-hour time span.
While laughing, students learn not to burn
Monitor Photo/Pearl Cantrell
Smiles (Kemp firefighter Miles Hicks, left) holds a pitcher of flour that Q2 (Mabank
police chief Kyle McAfee) tosses into a bowl to make the dough (which stands for fire
drills) held by Kaufman County constable Stacy Zajac in which the fire safety clowns bake
an E-D-I-T-H cake, while fire marshal Dave (Mabank’s Mat Ewaski, right) supervises.
BELOW: The outcome is a sheet cake fire exit plan fire marshal Dave holds. Exit Drills In
The Home, EDITH. Kemp Primary students also learned Wednesday to keep a 3-foot no play
zone around stoves, play with toys – not tools, use clean water on burns, don't take
the batteries from smoke detectors to power their electronic toys and to test detectors
monthly. Fire Safety Week is held annually in October. A number of other firefighting
clowns from Kemp and Mabank volunteer fire departments also participated in the
circus-like learning demonstration.
Manhunt in Seven Points nabs man, two
arrested
Monitor Staff Reports
SEVEN POINTS–Tuesday morning Seven Points area residents noticed a police helicopter
circling overhead and stepped up police activity as a manhunt was underway.
By the afternoon, authorities had arrested two men and one was charged with evading
arrest.
Michael Todd Ramsey, 45, added an evading arrest charge to his parole violation and
possession of drug paraphernalia.
He was held without bond in the Henderson County Jail. He was on parole for escape and
burglary of a building.
The search was intensified because his arrest warrant for parole violation identified him
as possibly armed and dangerous, according to the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office.
When he was taken into custody, no weapon was found in his possession.
Michael Ellis Parker, 45, was also arrested and charged with fraudulent use or possession
of identifying information.
He also is being held without bond.
A third subject was released and remained unidentified.
While answering a call to a possible burglary in progress around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, deputy
Billy Jack Valentine arrived at 13560 CR 2140 and encountered three men. Ramsey
immediately jumped from a window and ran into the woods.
A perimeter was set up and a Texas Department of Corrections tracking dogs were called in
to assist, along with a Public Safety helicopter.
The dogs tracked Ramsey through the woods and back out to the roadway, while the
helicopter and officers were able to contain him within a shrinking perimeter.
Ramsey was pulled from some brush and taken into custody.