EAST CHICAGO, Ind. (AP) — A fifth-grade teacher at a school in northwest Indiana was charged Friday with felony bullying after allegedly telling a female student she had a “kill list.” ” of students and staff, authorities said.
Angelica Carrasquillo, 25, of Griffith reported “a threat to commit murder,” according to Lake County court documents.
Officials at her school, St. Stanislaus in East Chicago, immediately confronted her and escorted her out of the building once they learned of the threat Wednesday afternoon, the Diocese of Gary said in a message to parents.
When Carrasquillo was asked Wednesday why he wanted to kill himself and others, he told school officials, “I have issues with my mental health and sometimes kids don’t listen in the classroom. I also have a trauma caused when I went to high school.”
It was not clear if Carrasquillo has an attorney who can comment on the allegations against him.
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The threats came to light when a counselor supervising a fifth grader said as she was being escorted to her classroom for recess detention: “I heard Mrs. Carrasquillo wants to kill herself and she has a list.”
The student reportedly said that Carrasquillo made the threat directly to him and told him that he was on the list.
The principal and an assistant principal said Carrasquillo gave them the name of a student on the “kill list” but did not reveal all the names, according to a court document.
Carrasquillo allegedly told school officials that he was “just kidding about all of that.”
Classes were held remotely on Friday and students were offered access to a school counselor, the diocese said.
“We are deeply saddened by this event,” the diocese said. “School safety is a primary concern of our schools.”
East Chicago police said they are obtaining an emergency arrest warrant for the teacher from the Lake County District Attorney’s Office. She was arrested at her home on Thursday morning.
She was not in custody on Friday, online court records showed.
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