An 18-year-old student at a private school in Lake Forest was arrested after he allegedly made threats to harm others at the school and made several attempts to buy a gun, police said.
Marshell J. Rockwell, 18, of Beach Park, was charged with one count of disorderly conduct, a Class 4 felony.
Connections Academy East, which is a private school at 300 South Waukegan Road in Lake Forest, notified the Lake Forest Police Department early Tuesday morning about a threat.
Staff told police detectives that they received an anonymous email with information that Rockwell, who is a student at the school, had threatened to harm others at the academy.
Officers contacted Rockwell and his parent and told him not to come to school while they were investigating. The campus was placed on a soft lockdown all day Tuesday and instruction continued as normal but only students, staff and police were allowed inside.
“Detectives worked with staff to identify and interview numerous witnesses who confirmed that Rockwell had made both verbal and social media threats to harm others at the school,” Lake Forest Police Chief Karl Walldorf said.
“Evidence was also uncovered Rockwell had contacted several individuals in an attempt to purchase a firearm, although no gun was actually acquired,” Walldorf said.
Officers located Rockwell at his home in Beach Park Tuesday afternoon. The teen admitted to officers he had attempted to purchase a firearm but denied intending to harm any students or staff at the school, Walldorf said.
Rockwell was taken into custody and transported to bond court Wednesday morning where he was ordered held on a $50,000 bond. Should he post bond, he was ordered not to attend or communicate with anyone from Connections Academy, and to refrain from using social media.
He is scheduled to appear in court Thursday morning for a bond review.