Schools
Lockdown Drill Leads to Actual Lockdown Thursday for Mundelein-Area Schools
A 'suspicious person' has been reported at the school.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office was conducting the drill at the middle school when a detective observed an adult male walking out of a school bathroom. School administration determined this unidentified individual was not known to school staff, Lake County Sheriff’s Office Detective Christopher Covelli said.
Officials placed the school on hard lockdown at 10 a.m. Sheriff’s detectives and highway patrol deputies with the assistance of Mundelein Police Department conducted a systematic search of the school, which is located at 500 Acorn Lane in unincorporated Mundelein, Covelli said. As a precautionary measure all other schools in districts 75, 76, and 120 were placed on soft lock-down.
“Following a thorough search of every room in the building and the exterior of the school, it was determined the unidentified individual was no longer inside on the premises,” Covelli said.
The hard lockdown at West Oak Middle School was lifted at 11:30 a.m., Covelli said.
Police are still looking to identify the man spotted inside the school. He is described as a male with dark skin who is around 30 years old, 5-feet 10-inches and weighing 160 pounds. He has short black hair and was wearing a green winter jacket.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is assisting school administration in reviewing policies, procedures, and protocols to ensure they are properly being followed by school staff, students, and law enforcement.
Lock-down drills are conducted with all schools throughout Illinois at least one time a year. These drills must be conducted in the presence of law enforcement to ensure compliance.
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