Law enforcement activity triggers shelter protocol at Irion County ISD
An incident at the Irion County Sheriff’s Office in Mertzon on Monday triggered a lockdown at the Irion County ISD campus, according to school officials.
The school district alerted the public about noon Monday with the following Facebook post:
“At a little after 10 a.m., there were loud noises heard near the school, sounding like very loud fireworks. Out of an abundance of caution, we secured in place shortly to find out more information. There was an incident near the Sheriff’s Office, and there is still Law Enforcement presences there and the incident is being investigated. We gave the all-clear at the school moments ago.”
Superintendent Dr. Ray DeSpain confirmed Tuesday that the district’s students were in a class-change, and some of the students were outside in between buildings when they heard the loud sounds.
The Irion County Sheriff’s Office is located at the corner of West Sherwood Avenue and North First Street, about three blocks from the Irion County campus.
The school initiated its shelter-in-place protocol and called the Sheriff's Office. They waited for further instruction from the Sheriff's Office before leaving lockdown after approximately 20 minutes, DeSpain said.
Inquiries by the Standard-Times to the Irion County Sheriff’s Office were forwarded to the Department of Public Safety. Sergeant Justin Baker told the Standard-Times that the case has been turned over to the Texas Rangers for investigation.
Tom Green County jail records indicate one arrest by the Irion County Sheriff’s Office on Monday, Aug. 29. Justin Michael Chappell was booked at 2:38 p.m. and charged with Assault/Causes Bodily Injury/Family Violence; Possession/ Controlled Substance - Penalty Group 1/1B – 1gram<4grams; and Escape While Arrested/Confined Felony.
Records show Chappell remains in custody as of Tuesday morning, and bonds have been set totaling $104,000.
This is a developing story and will be updated
This article originally appeared on San Angelo Standard-Times: Law enforcement activity triggers shelter protocol at Irion County ISD
