JEFFERSONVILLE- Sheriff deputies from Sullivan County have arrested a Narrowsburg man after he allegedly made a threat against the Sullivan West School District.
Steven Kelly, 37, was arrested by the deputies on Friday at around 6 a.m. after they had received information shortly before 8 p.m. the previous evening that Kelly made posts on social media expressing his dissatisfaction with the school district. According to police, his posts referred to a gun and he allegedly made verbal statements at his job about “shooting everyone.” In a letter to the community from district officials, Kelly is described as a parent in the district.
At the time of his arrest, a BB gun was recovered from Kelly’s residence. Kelly denied having any firearms and police confirmed that none were found.
Kelly was arraigned Friday afternoon before Town of Liberty Judge Troy Johnstone on a misdemeanor charge of making a threat of mass harm and was released without bail under state law.
The Sullivan County District Attorney’s Office filed an emergency order against Kelly that prohibits him from obtaining a firearm as well as an order of protection prohibiting him from coming on school grounds.
Out of an abundance of caution, on Friday morning deputies were at the school to meet students and staff as they arrived. “We worked closely with the school district and District Attorney’s Office to address this matter quickly and efficiently,” said Sheriff Mike Schiff. “The investigation is complete and it does not appear that there was any danger to the students or staff at Sullivan West.”
Schiff thanked the school district for its cooperation and warned residents to be cautious of misinformation being spread on social media platforms relative to the incident. He advised students, parents, and staff to rely only on official channels for updates.
“Superintendent Kathleen Bressler made two proper and timely notifications to the parents and students of the school district last week,” said Schiff. “There is no basis for the current rumors and speculation that persist among social media users,” he said.
In a letter to parents, Bressler emphasized that the threat against the district was deemed non-credible by law enforcement. “I can assure you, through work with our sheriff’s office, that at no time was there an immediate threat to our school last week nor is there now,” she wrote.
