A 25-year-old teacher at a private elementary school in Indiana was arrested this week after she said she had a “kill list” that included at least one of her fifth grade students, several of her colleagues, and herself, authorities say.
Angelica Carrasquillo-Torres was taken into custody at at her home Thursday morning. According to a press release from the East Chicago Police Department, officers at approximately 5 p.m. on Oct. 12 responded to a call at St. Stanislaus School located at 4930 Indianapolis Blvd. in reference to a report about a possible threat.
Upon arriving at the school, officers spoke with the principal and assistant principal about the situation, authorities said.
“Officers were advised that on Wednesday October 12, 2022 at approximately 12:45 p.m. a 5th grade student told his/her Counselor that their 5th grade teacher made comments to him/her about killing herself, students, and staff at St. Stanislaus School,” the press release said. “The teacher further told the student that she has a list and that he/she was on the bottom of that list.”
After administrators learned about the list, the teacher was immediately brought to the principal’s office where she allegedly admitted that the student was telling the truth, police said.
“While discussing the matter in the office the teacher allegedly admitted to the Principal that she did in fact make those statements to the student and confirmed that she did have a ‘kill list,'” the press release continued. “During the conversation the teacher named a specific student on her list, but did not provide the list. The Principal then advised the teacher to leave and not return to school pending an investigation.”
Police said that school administrators did not contact the department until approximately four hours later — after the teacher had been permitted to leave school grounds. Officers completed an incident report and the case was passed to the department’s Criminal Investigation Division, cops added.
At the request of police, the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office obtained an emergency detention order for Carrasquillo-Torres. ECPD detectives were able to take her into custody the following day at approximately 11:15 a.m. without incident.
The school on Thursday released a statement addressing the incident.
“It is with great sadness that we share the following statement. On Wednesday, October 12, at approximately 12:45 p.m., the staff at St. Stanislaus School responded to a concerning report from a student regarding comments made by the student’s teacher. The teacher was removed from the classroom and escorted to the principal’s office, where she remained under supervision and had no further contact with students. The teacher was interviewed to further identify the details of the incident,” the statement said. “After students were safely dismissed at the end of the school day, the teacher was escorted off campus and the East Chicago police department was notified at approximately 4:45 p.m. When asked, the police assured the principal that the facility was safe and that they could proceed normally with all scheduled learning and school events for the next school day.”
The online court docket for Lake County does not list any current cases involving Carrasquillo-Torres, but Indianapolis NBC affiliate WTHR reported that she’s been charged with one count of intimidation in a threat to commit a forcible felony, which is a level six felony.
[Image via WGN9 News]
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