Police: Cranston school threat tied to previous letters

Daniel Kittredge
Posted 11/27/14

A threatening letter sent to Stone Hill Elementary School in Cranston last week was authored by the same person who has sent a pair of letters threatening violence against schools in Johnston, …

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Police: Cranston school threat tied to previous letters

Posted

A threatening letter sent to Stone Hill Elementary School in Cranston last week was authored by the same person who has sent a pair of letters threatening violence against schools in Johnston, Cranston and Warwick in recent weeks, according to police.

Col. Michael Winquist, chief of the Cranston Police Department, said investigators confirmed the link after initial observations led police to believe a connection existed.

In this case, the letter was sent directly to the school, arriving Nov. 19. The previous letters were sent to Johnston Police Department headquarters.

Winquist said police “assess this threat [against Stone Hill] to be very low on the credibility scale” but nonetheless took added precautions, including posting an officer at the school and increasing patrols.

Ray Votto, chief operating officer for Cranston Public Schools, also said officials “do not believe [the threat] to be credible” but are following “our usual safety procedures” and working with the Cranston police and Rhode Island State Police.

Neither Winquist nor Votto provided specifics regarding the nature of the threat.

Mayor Allan Fung declined to comment on the threat against Stone Hill, other than to say police, city and school officials are “working to ensure it’s a secure environment.”

“That’s what we’ve done since day one,” he said.

Police are continuing to investigate the first two threatening letters, which shook parents across all three communities in October and initially resulted in extremely high absentee rates at area schools.

In another development, a Mississippi man arrested after trying to enter Johnston High School late last month has been found not competent to stand trial.

Jonathan Mikovich, 38, was taken into custody after school officials called police on Oct. 30. He was subsequently found to have a firearm in his vehicle, and was charged with possession of a firearm without a license, possession of a firearm on school grounds and disorderly conduct.

Police say it remains unclear why Mikovich was in Johnston and attempted to enter the high school, but Johnston Deputy Police Chief Daniel Parrillo has said no evidence was found linking him to the threatening letters.

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