A substitute teacher in Louisiana was arrested after authorities say she triggered false active shooter alerts at five schools, prompting security responses across the district.
Lytonja Barfield, 58, was booked on five counts of menacing after an investigation into the alerts Wednesday, Caddo Parish Sheriff Henry Whitehorn Sr. announced.
The Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office began investigating after officials with the Caddo Parish School Board contacted the agency about possible threats after emergency alerts at several schools.
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Don Gibbs, the school board’s director of security, told investigators that Barfield, a substitute teacher, had allegedly used the district’s emergency management system to report active shooters at five schools, according to the sheriff’s office.
School officials responded to the alerts by implementing security measures to protect students and staff while they worked to determine whether the reported threats were legitimate.
Officials determined the alerts were false and identified Barfield as the person responsible for sending them, the sheriff’s office said.
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Caddo Parish Public Schools told Fox News Digital Barfield is no longer employed by the district and was not assigned to work at any district location at the time of the incident.
“We are cooperating fully with the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office as they continue their investigation into the matter. Ms. Barfield is no longer employed by the district, and, at the time of the incident, she was not assigned to work at any district site,” the district’s statement said.
“While we will not speak to the individual details of the investigation, as that is under the purview of the Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office, I can say that, in response to the mobile alerts, the district followed our established security protocols to ensure student and staff safety at all locations.”
The sheriff’s office did not identify the five schools in its announcement or say what specific security measures were implemented.
A Caddo Parish Sheriff’s Office detective later located Barfield and questioned her about the incident.
Based on evidence and information gathered during the investigation, authorities arrested Barfield and transported her to the Caddo Correctional Center, according to the sheriff’s office.
Barfield was booked on five counts of menacing.
The sheriff’s office said false reports of active threats can disrupt schools, trigger emergency responses and cause fear among students, parents, employees and the surrounding community.
Authorities did not disclose a possible motive for the alleged false alerts.
The investigation remains ongoing.
