The Van Wert County Courthouse

Thursday, Mar. 28, 2024

Threat suspects appear for court hearings

Editor’s note: Because of the seriousness of the offense and the attention school violence and threats are getting nationwide, the Van Wert independent has amended its policy of identifying only juveniles age 16 or older to include information on the younger suspect in this case.

DAVE MOSIER/independent editor

Students from Van Wert and Crestview high schools were in Van Wert County Juvenile Court on Friday for initial appearances on charges related to recent social media threats targeting each of those schools.

Alexah Thompson, 14, a freshman at Van Wert High School, and Kelsey Rothgeb, 17, a junior at Crestview, both appeared before Judge Kevin Taylor on charges of inducing panic, a felony of the second degree if the defendants were adults, and telecommunications harassment, a misdemeanor of the first degree for adult offenders.

Both girls were seated with their parents during the hearing, while attorney Ken Rexford represented both youth suspects. Assistant Van Wert County Prosecutor Tyler Dunham represented the state in both hearings, while Chief Juvenile Probation Officer Virginia Hammon also attended the hearings.

Judge Taylor read the charges filed against both girls and also noted the potential penalties for both offenses, which includes a maximum fine of $1,000 for the felony and $250 for the misdemeanor offense, and the possibility of spending up to six months in an area regional detention center, up to a maximum of incarceration at a state juvenile detention facility until age 21. Each could be liable to make restitution for any costs their school districts have incurred related to the social media threats.

In addition to family members, officials from each school system attended the hearings. Assistant to the Superintendent Bill Clifton, and VWHS Principal Bob Priest and Assistant Principal Dave Froelich attended for Van Wert, while Superintendent Mike Estes and Crestview High School Principal Mike Biro were at the hearing for Crestview.

In addition to reading the charges, which both girls formally denied through their attorney, Judge Taylor also looked at the question of whether the young offenders should remain in the West Central Juvenile Detention Center in Troy, where they have been since they were arrested last week or be released to the custody of their parents.

The judge decided in both cases to release the suspects to their parents, but also granted Durham’s request that both girls be placed on electronically monitored house arrest and wear GPS ankle bracelets while on house arrest. Neither can leave their homes without permission from the Van Wert County Youth Bureau, the probation department for Juvenile Court.

Officials from both school districts asked that the suspects not have any contact with students and adult staff in each of the districts and be banned from being on any school property to ensure the safety of school students and staff.

“There has been an outcry … a lot of parents who are very concerned about how the schools are securing their facilities beyond what we currently do,” Clifton said prior to the judge’s decision, noting that some parents have indicated they plan to attend the next board meeting to address the issue. “They want to know what we’re doing to take a stance against these threats. We are very concerned, not only for the young lady, but we are concerned for the safety of all of our students and all of our adult staff.”

Judge Taylor granted the schools’ request, and also ordered that neither student have access to electronic devices, such as computers, tablets, or cell phones, and are banned from social media sites while the cases are pending. He also warned both girls that probation violations could mean a return to the Troy juvenile detention facility.

Rexford did ask that the girls be allowed to have limited Internet access, under parental supervision, to continued their school studies, which the judge granted.

In addition to Juvenile Court charges, both girls are currently under school suspensions and also face expulsion from their respective school districts. Rexford asked that both be given an exception from house arrest to attend expulsion hearings, which the judge granted. The Van Wert hearing will be held early next week, while Crestview has set its expulsion hearing for March 28.

Both Thompson and Rothgeb were placed in custody following discovery of threats made on the social media site Instagram. While the Van Wert threat was a general one, the Crestview threat included first names of students who were specifically threatened, as well as a general threat.

Dunham and his boss, County Prosecutor Eva Yarger, issued the following statement following the hearings:

“The disruption and emotional impact brought about by these cases have been severely felt by students, faculty, their friends, and their families in the community. The intent of the Van Wert County Prosecuting Attorney is to continue to prosecute both individuals to the fullest extent of the law. “

We thank the representatives from the Sheriff’s Office, Van Wert City Schools, and Crestview Local Schools for their assistance with these matters, and for their diligent work to keep our schools and our community safe every day.”

POSTED: 03/03/18 at 9:04 am. FILED UNDER: News