By Linda Dillman
Staff Writer
Madison Township Police Det. Keith Mallory was honored with the central Ohio Crimestoppers September Officer of the Month for his work in helping close a case involving school threats.
“Thanks to his detective work, we were able to make an arrest and prosecution,” said Madison Township Police Chief Gary York during an Oct. 9 presentation to the township trustees.
According to Crimestoppers, on Feb. 27, a social media post resulted in an investigation that a student who attends Groveport Madison Middle School North had posted threatening pictures with guns targeting students and teachers.
As a result, Groveport Madison School officials closed all 10 of the district’s school buildings for the safety of the students and community.
During the investigation, Mallory retrieved a cell phone from a person of interest and executed a search warrant. The cell phone was sent to the Columbus Police Department for a forensic analysis.
Information on the phone showed a connection between a middle school student and threats posted on social media. The student was arrested and interviewed and during the interview, admitted to posting the threatening photos as a joke.
The student, who had a prior charge and arrest of conveying a firearm inside a school building in late 2016, was charged and arrested with inducing panic, a second degree felony.
Other Madison Township news
•Madison Township Administrator Susan Brobst said it was back to the drawing board for a new electric aggregation contract after rates came in much different than expected.
“We reject these rates and then we’ll go back out after the election,” Brobst said, adding she hopes to have revised rates available in December.
•Brobst discussed the possibility of adding another regular trustee meeting in June and October of next year due to both months containing five weeks and changes in the way the township now handles nuisance properties.
Special meetings would still be called as necessary and if there was no business for the additional regular June and October meetings, they could be canceled with proper notification.
