St. Denis principal describes scary situation with escaped inmate running in and out of school

A man escaped police custody and ran through St. Denis school in Benton Tuesday, prompting a brief lockdown, principal Karen Powers said Wednesday.

"It happened all so quickly," she said. "It was a very scary situation ... but we didn't really have the time to realize how scary it was at the time ... he was probably in and out of the school in 20 to 30 seconds."

In a letter to parents sent home Tuesday, Powers said grades 1 through 4 had gone outside for recess around 10 a.m. only to learn it was too wet to play outside.

The front door, she wrote, was propped open while the lines of students were moving from place to place.

"Also happening at this time a suspect had bolted from the sheriff deputies after leaving court," she wrote. "He ran toward school with deputies following him. He came by the school as the children had exited the front of the old school. He came in the door, up the steps, down the back steps and out the back door." School officials, Powers wrote, received no warning from authorities prior to the escaped subject's arrival, but added that deputies were in close pursuit during the whole episode.

"We immediately got all students to a classroom and locked all doors," Powers wrote. "The man continued to run from the deputies and in the front of school jumped in front of, and was hit by a squad car."

Several students and teachers saw the subject running and being apprehended, she wrote. After the man was taken into custody, deputies advised school officials the scene was secure, and no children, faculty or staff were hurt during the incident, Powers said.

She told the Southeast Missourian in a phone interview the school responded quickly and appropriately to the intrusion.

"The students and teachers went just as we had practiced for intruder drills," she said, adding that the intruder drills are regularly practiced like fire or tornado drills.

"The freak timing of it all was just a crazy thing," she said.

"We have talked with the students again about what we need to do if we see strangers in our building," she wrote. "I can assure you that we take all precautions to keep the children safe."

Multiple attempts to reach Scott County Sheriff Wes Drury by phone Tuesday and Wednesday were unsuccessful.

tgraef@semissourian.com

(573)388-3627