Female art teacher, 59, is charged with posting BOMB threats under the doors of three classrooms at her own school saying: 'Start break early. He's gonna do it. Just don't be in the hall after lunch. Boom.'
A 59 year-old Detroit art teacher has been charged with posting hoax notes under the doors of three classrooms in her own school warning that it would be bombed by a terrorist.
Johnna Rhone, 59, wrote at least three notes with threatening language last week at Jefferson Middle School in St. Clair Shores, Macomb County prosecutor Pete Lucido said.
One of the notes read: 'Start break early. He's gonna do it. Just don't be in the hall after lunch. Boom! Get it?'
The three hand-written notes by Rhone were found under the doors of a classroom, the library and the media center. Surveillance cameras at the school caught the footage.
After her arrest, Rhone was charged with making a false threat of terrorism, a felony that could result in the teacher serving twenty years behind bars, if found guilty. No motive for the bizarre crime has been shared, although schools in the area have been hit by multiple false alarms since four children were shot dead at the nearby Oxford High School on November 30.
Rhone is the first teacher to have been accused of issuing such a threat.
Rhone's attorney, Andrew Leone, denied the allegations. Rhone is a creative arts teacher that has taught at the school for 21 years.
'I only read things like this and it has one plain straightforward meaning,' Macomb County Prosecutor Pete Lucido said at a news conference after the court hearing.
'I wouldn't want to be around the school nor would I want my own child or children to be around that school. And I don't think any parent would want their kid around the school when somebody is making a threat of that nature. We are all on high alert.
These are unprecedented times with unprecedented things that are happening,' Lucido concluded.
Classes at Jefferson Middle School in St. Clair Shores, a Detroit suburb, were not canceled following Rhone's arrest on Friday. Police searched the teacher's home and said there weren't any guns or weapons to be found
Throughout her time at the school, Rhone has never been subject to any serious complaints or concerns raised against her by students, parents or staff, according to a statement from Lakeview Public Schools Superintendent Karl Paulson.
'This alleged behavior is unacceptable and disappointing,' Paulson said in a statement. 'Lakeview is committed to providing a quality education for the students and families of our community.'
Rhone was placed on administrative leave, while the school district coordinated with local authorities to facilitate her arrest Friday. Police said Rhone did not cooperate with them and refused to comment on the issue.
In court, as the evidence was unfolded in front of the judge, Rhone was on a video conference call from inside the cell of the St. Clair Shores Police Department saying: 'not true, not true, not true.'
Rhone appeared in court on a video conference call from inside the cell of the St. Clair Shores Police Department saying: 'not true, not true, not true' after prosecutor Peter Lucido read one of her notes that said: 'Start break early. He's gonna do it. Just don't be in the hall after lunch. Boom! Get it?'
If Rhone is released on bond, then she is not allowed to have any contact with anyone from Jefferson Middle School.
Meanwhile, parents are afraid to send their children to school in a 'post-Oxford world,' assistant prosecutor Patrick Sierawski said in court, a reference to the Nov. 30 shooting at Oxford High School that killed four students and injured seven more people.
Since the deadly shooting three weeks ago, nearly a hundred kids in the Detroit metropolitan area have been charged with making similar threats.
However, Rhone is the first adult — a teacher.
'Somebody either cried out for help. Somebody who's maybe desperate. Somebody wants a day off. But I don't have a crystal ball to give you an exact answer as to why some adult who's in supervision and control of our children in the classroom would even think about doing something like this,' Pete Lucido told reporters.
Classes were not canceled following Rhone's arrest. Police searched the teacher's home and said there were no guns or weapons to be found.
Her bond is set at 10 percent of a $75,000, house arrest with a GPS tether and psychological testing.
A probable cause conference for Rhone has been set for February 1.
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