Four Pahrump schools experience precautionary lockdowns
Multiple Pahrump schools entered precautionary lockdowns earlier this week, following a weapon-related call in the area.
On Wednesday, Aug. 26 at approximately 9:45 a.m., the Nye County Sheriff’s office announced on its app and Facebook page that J.G. Johnson Elementary, Pahrump Valley High School and Mt. Charleston Elementary were currently under precautionary lockdowns.
“During a lockdown procedure, regular classroom activities pause, all exterior and interior doors are locked, and hallway traffic is restricted so emergency response personnel can effectively manage the surrounding neighborhood,” the Nye County School District wrote in its statement about the incident shared to Facebook at 9:47 a.m on Wednesday. “No entry or exit from any of the affected campuses is permitted at this time. Please do not attempt to travel to any of the school sites, as access is strictly restricted for everyone’s safety.”
The school district post said that Pathways Innovative Education also underwent a precautionary lockdown.
“We are in constant communication with law enforcement and will send an update as soon as the sheriff’s office clears the area and lifts the protocol,” school district administration and leadership wrote further in the post. “Thank you for your patience, trust, and cooperation as we keep our schools safe.”
Nye County Sheriff Joe McGill told the Pahrump Valley Times that the law enforcement agency received a report of a male subject chasing another man through the desert on foot in the general area of J.G. Johnson Elementary. The report alleged that the pursuing man had a gun, McGill said. The schools in the immediate area were then placed on lockdown as a precautionary measure, McGill explained.
“Please remain calm, avoid the area, and rely on official sources for updates. We will share more information as it becomes available,” the sheriff’s office wrote in its announcement. “Again, these lockdowns are out of an abundance of caution, the schools are not affected at this time.”
McGill said that when the report came in, there were coincidentally about seven patrol units in the area because the law enforcement officers were doing their morning briefing there. The sheriff’s office searched the area and found nothing that corroborated the report, McGill said, adding that the schools were never directly affected.
“The schools are no longer in lockdown,” stated an update from authorities at 10:26 a.m. on Wednesday. “The investigation is ongoing but it has been determined by NCSO that the schools are safe.”
Shortly after the law enforcement notice, the school district shared an update at 10:28 a.m. on Wednesday through Facebook that it had been cleared to lift the lockdowns at all locations.
Contact reporter Elijah Dulay at edulay@pvtimes.com
