Monday, December 9, 2024
AZLE —At least two parents of children attending Azle schools have taken to Facebook with concerns over a lack of transparency in a recent arrest by the Parker County Sheriff's Office.
According to public records and screenshots of Azle ISD communications, Alan Thompson was arrested and placed into psychiatric care for homicidal ideations after he admitted to hearing voices telling him to commit violence at Azle schools.
Kelsey Massey, an Azle ISD parent and former candidate for the board of trustees, contacted the Tri-County Reporter to share her concerns and screenshots Thursday night.
According to screenshots of an Oct. 28 email sent from Azle ISD Police Chief Darren Brockway, Thompson came in contact with PCSO deputies during a disturbance call. During the incident, deputies discovered Thompson was having mental issues. Thompson stated his hearing aids told him to commit violence at a school in Azle. He admitted to hearing voices telling him to bring a firearm and shoot people at a school. The email states he mentioned Silver Creek Elementary and Azle Christian School.
Thompson, age 41, is an Azle resident and alleged owner of the now-closed Alan Thompson Automotive at 1200 Northwest Parkway. Thompson’s listed home address is less than one mile from Silver Creek Elementary.
Thompson was apprehended after multiple weapons were seized from his home and he was arrested for unlawful possession of a firearm by a felon after being released from a JPS psychiatric ward. Parker County jail records show the initial incident took place Oct. 24 and Thompson was booked into the jail Nov. 5. According to Parker and Tarrant County records, Thompson was arrested numerous times for driving while intoxicated between 2007 and 2018. Texas law considers an individual’s third DWI a felony.
Through her communications with school officials, Massey claims Silver Creek Elementary staff was not notified about the incident until Nov. 6 and that the board of trustees was unaware of the potential threat.
“This information should have been shared with staff as early as October 28th,” Massey said in an email to the newspaper. “His picture should have been distributed and parents should have been given a heads-up about the situation, along with reassurance that it was being handled.”
Azle ISD Superintendent Todd Smith responded to these claims in an email to the Tri-County Reporter.
“On Monday, Oct. 28, Chief Brockway shared the internal report (shared on social media) with all Azle ISD School Resource Officers and all campus principals. Mrs. Deheck shared the information with her office staff, including those who are ones checking visitors in, such as campus attendance clerk and campus secretary,” Smith said. “This was an internal Azle ISD Police Department document that was not intended for public release due (to) personal information. At no time was there any intent on our part to hide anything or withhold information from our staff, parents, and community. I am unsure as to what we would have reported to parents or staff with no additional information or details, without creating more questions or concerns. Typically in reporting a subject matter such as this, (it) includes additional details or action steps being taken, which we do not have. Outside of our daily routine safety protocols of locked doors, actively checking doors, SRO patrolling the campus, staff being observant, etc. no additional actions are being taken. Additional information may be shared with parents about added protocols if or when the suspect is released from law enforcement custody, pending what law enforcement determines, and what we can legally share.”
According to additional screenshots, Hilltop Elementary School officer Nathan Stringer emailed Hilltop staff about the incident Oct. 30. Stringer reported that he had met with the head of Azle Christian School several weeks earlier after Thompson had tried to gain access to the building and was issued a criminal trespass warning.
The Tri-County Reporter reached out to ACS Head of School April Geeslin who said that while Thompson did visit the school parking lot Sept. 26, he did not attempt to gain entry.
“He did not try to gain entrance through a back door,” Geeslin said. “He parked in front of the church and walked up to our gym door. He was immediately approached by myself. He said he was looking for someone named Tom and when told no one was here by that name, he left immediately. The safety of our students and staff is our top priority. We are thankful to have an armed security officer on campus every day. The Brooks Security Team, who is contracted by ACS, works closely with the Azle ISD Police Department and Parker County Sheriff’s Office.”
The school district issued a press release Friday morning, Nov. 8 in response to the situation. The document is accessible through a link on the Tri-County Reporter website. The Parker County Sheriff's Office did not respond to requests for comment by press deadline.
