Last Wednesday, December 7, around 11:45 am, a lockdown was placed at Adams High School, for about 15 minutes. It was reported that a man, known by the name of Juan Maldonado, 31, attempted to gain access into the building. 

Thanks to Adam’s, School Resource Officer, Anthony Pearson Sr, the situation was handled, and Maldonado was apprehended. Pearson was able to follow the suspect west down Mishawaka Avenue, and hold him in the 1400 block, until authorities arrived. It was reported that a knife was found on Maldonado, and he was arrested and taken to the St. Joseph County Jail. Maldonado has been previously charged with criminal trespass, possession of a knife on school property, and resisting law enforcement. 

Safety measures are put into place to keep communities safe. With the doors kept locked, a security team, the SRO, and practice lockdown drills, the highest measures and consideration go into effect when the school is threatened. Principal Jim Seitz states that, “ Anytime you have any disturbances in your day, you immediately go back to any training that you’ve had.” Once the suspect was with the police, the lockdown was lifted. Parents, students, and staff were immediately notified about the disturbance. Joie Warnke, a junior at Adams responded to the lockdown by saying, “When the lockdown was called, I was nervous at first because we were given no information. However, I was confident in the safety measures put in place at Adams, and I knew that whatever situation it was, it would be handled.”

On behalf of Adams, we would like to thank parents and family for trusting in our school community, and in the laws set in place to keep students and staff safe. Lastly, we would like to give a huge thank you to our resource officer, Anthony Pearson Sr., for his fast reaction and level headedness in a stressful and scary situation.