Intoxicated person at Leask school forces ‘hold and secure’

By Nigel Maxwell

A safety procedure at Leask Community School has been lifted following an incident at the school early Wednesday morning.

An unknown male wandered into the elementary side of the school on several occasions. He had his face covered and, when approached by the caretaker, the unknown male fled on foot. Sgt. Aaron Kaeding of the RCMP’s Blaine Lake detachment told paNOW the youth was located and detained.

“He was intoxicated and there was nothing nefarious or ill going on, he was simply intoxicated and looking for a place to warm up,” he said.

Kaeding added the youth, who is not from the community, was placed in the care of his mother.

“Just at as a matter of protocol. We did clear the school but the hold and secure has been lifted and there’s no concern of any other issues,” he said.

Kaeding reiterated there weren’t any direct threats made to school staff or students, but explained the RCMP took the necessary precautions because it was not aware of that when it received the initial reports.

Upon request, the Prairie Spirit School Division provided the following statement for paNOW:

“Before students arrived at school this morning, an unknown person (who was possibly intoxicated) was found in our school building. When approached by the caretaker, he left the building and the police were called. RCMP were at the school by 8:45 a.m.

“At the direction of the RCMP, the school was placed into a ‘Hold and Secure’ at the start of the day. ‘Hold and Secure’ means all exterior school doors are locked because an emergency is occurring outside the school and may pose a risk. The school remained in a Hold and Secure until 9:35 a.m., when the RCMP found the person and determined there was no longer a threat to the school.We appreciate the support of the RCMP in this situation.”

The community of Leask is located roughly 40 minutes southwest of Prince Albert.