Teens Charged After Fights At Crete-Monee High School
CRETE, Ill. (STMW) -- After reviewing video recordings of a series of fights Monday at Crete-Monee High School, police will seek charges of aggravated battery against a 15-year-old male student who allegedly kicked a teacher.
Police viewed the tapes to identify the student and to determine if any other charges were warranted, Crete Police Chief James Paoletti said. The chief will petition the juvenile justice system to bring the charges against the 15-year-old, he said.
On Monday, after four fights broke out during the school day, two students were arrested.
Damaria Sutton, 18, of Park Forest, was charged with unlawful use of a weapon on school grounds after allegedly bringing a folding knife to school. The knife fell to the ground while she struggled with a staff member who tried to break up a fight, police said.
In a second fight, a 15-year-old female student was charged with disorderly conduct after brandishing a padlock as a weapon, Paoletti said.
Verbal fights began on Twitter over the weekend between cheerleaders and escalated into actual physical fights on Monday, prompting school officials to call Crete police.
In a third incident, a teacher was kicked by the 15-year-old juvenile while trying to shield a student who had been knocked to the floor during a fight. A fourth fight resulted in a student suffering a concussion while trying to separate two other fighting teens.
None of the injuries were life-threatening, Paoletti said.
School officials have not returned calls, but a message on the district's website said an added police presence was necessary after additional threats on social media of a possible shooting on Tuesday. The rumors were unsubstantiated. All has been quiet since Monday, the chief said.
"We have a presence there and will try to maintain the quietness and safety," he said. "Hopefully, this will just be a bad memory by the end of the week."
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2014. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
