HYDE PARK – A man acting strangely on the grounds of Haviland Middle School (HMS) on Thursday caught the attention of school staff and resulted in the arrest of a man near the school.  Hyde Park School District Superintendent Dr. Pedro Roman issued statements to the community on Monday afternoon, providing limited details of the incident.

After seventh-period lunch, Roman said students were returning to the building when lunch monitors observed a man in camo clothing riding a bicycle and approaching the school’s back lot.  When the monitors approached, the man sped away.

The school resource officer (SRO) was notified and requested assistance from the Hyde Park Police Department.

Police canvassed the neighborhood and located the man.  Officers discovered he was wearing a bulletproof vest, was armed with a knife, and was in possession of two rifle magazines, one of which was loaded.  No firearm was discovered.

The subject was taken into custody and transferred to a local hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.

Following complaints about the school’s response to the incident on Monday, Dr. Roman said: “At the time of the encounter at HMS, the only information provided to administration was that an unauthorized individual was riding a bicycle on school property, with no report, visual evidence, or indication of weapons at that moment, which is why school administration and law enforcement did not initiate a lockdown.”

Roman also faced questions about the delay in notifying the parents and community of the potential threat.  His updated statement said, “The delay in sending our update was necessary to receive official law enforcement clearance to ensure all facts were accurate and that an active police investigation was not compromised.  He indicated that an after-action review will evaluate the response and actions taken on Monday.



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