After closing for two days in a row, police say Summit Schools are safe to attend

By Scott Bolthouse |The Huron Hub | ScottBolthouse@HuronHub.com

A 14-year-old female and a 12-year-old male were arrested Tuesday after police allege they made threats against Summit Academy Schools on social media.

Both are students at Summit Academy Middle School and are in seventh and eight grade.

Police say on Sunday at 11:30 p.m., a Summit student reported seeing multiple threats posted on a social media app called “Lipsi.”

The app is self-described as an application that allows posting anonymous messages.

Police say the messages were specific to Summit Schools and threatened to use both bomb and gun violence against other students during a specific time frame.

“This is great opportunity for all parents to once again have a conversation with their students about the seriousness of making threats against a school. I can assure the community that every case will be handled seriously. These threats can result in felony charges. I also urge parents to check their children’s phones and social media account as often as possible,” said Huron Public Safety Director Everette Robbins.

After their arrests, both students transported to the Wayne County Juvenile Detention Center pending charges from the Wayne County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

“We are working hand in hand with the administration at Summit Academy. They have great safety protocols in place and have never wavered from making student safety their top priority,” Robbins said.

Summit Academy currently contracts for a full-time school resource Huron officer.

Police say it is safe for students to return to school and there will be extra police presence Wednesday as a precaution.

Leann Hedke, superintendent of Summit Schools, released a statement on the arrest.

I am happy to share that school will resume tomorrow, January 16, 2019. This afternoon a 14-year old student was arrested for her alleged role in the threat made on social media. I am grateful for the support of the Huron Township Police Department, especially Chief Robbins, Lt. Girard and Officer Czernik. I am also grateful for the support of our families who recognize that we take threats seriously and always put the safety of your children first.

“At this time, I would like to ask parents to please talk to your children about social media. Make sure they understand the repercussions of threats, even those made in jest. To elevate the discussion further, each of our schools will be holding seminars in the near future to talk about social media.

“For children and parents who remain concerned, let me assure you that there is no threat against our school, students or staff. If you have any questions or would just like to chat, please call me at 734-379-9766.

Robbins added: “We are happy to bring this investigation to a conclusion. Unfortunately, over 2200 students were unable to attend school the past two days and receive their education because of the reckless acts of these two students. We, along with the Summit Schools Administration, realize the hardship that the past two days placed on the students and their parents and we thank them for their patience while we fully investigated this incident.”

By Scott Bolthouse |The Huron Hub | ScottBolthouse@HuronHub.com

Crime is down across the board in Huron Township in 2018, according to an annual report released by the Huron Township Department of Public Safety.

“Our crime statistics continue to decline in all of the major areas. Our violent crimes grouping that includes larceny and burglary is down over 37 percent, which is remarkable,” said Public Safety Director Everette Robbins.

“I hope that our residents will find this annual report useful and, as always, I am happy to take calls or have them stop by if they have any questions about this report. Our number one goal is providing a high level of quality service to those we proudly serve.”

You can read the entire report by clicking here

In 2018, the department responded to 2,730 calls for police service — a decrease of 4.139 percent from the previous year.

The majority of the calls were classified into three separate groups.

Group A incidents, which include homicide, kidnapping, robbery, forcible sexual assaults, aggravated and non-aggravated assaults, larceny, burglary and damage to property, were down 37.162 percent.

In 2018 there were 296 incidents, in 2017 there were 406.

Group B includes operating while intoxicated (OWI), disorderly conduct, liquor law violations, misdemeanor sex offenses and non-violent family offenses, were down 12.19 percent.

In 2018 there were 164 incidents, 2017 there were 184.

Group C includes traffic offenses, juvenile offenses and warrant arrests, were down 2.89 percent.

2018 totaled 933 incidents, in 2017 there were 960.

“This is a direct result of our officer’s efforts. Our officers self-initiated more than 30,000 traffic stops throughout our township in 2018. I believe high visibility, while being proactive, is the key to the decline in crime in our township. As the report details, our arrests initiated through traffic stops are extremely high. Although it is hard to quantify, I think these arrests stop many crimes before they have a chance to happen.,” Robbins said.

“We have some exciting things happening in 2019, especially within our fire department. We anticipate the addition of two new fire trucks in 2019, including one fire truck that will give our firefighting staff an aerial truck option when battling a structure fire. In addition, we have seven new recruits that we anticipate becoming an important part of our growing department. I cannot wait to see their continued growth under the leadership of Chief Jamie Hinojosa.”

Additionally, Robbins thanked a handful of retirees who signed-off from the department in 2018.

“I want to thank our 2018 retirees Duane Griffis, Karen Stackpoole, and Terry Allore for their dedicated service to Huron Township. They will certainly be missed.”