CEDAR CITY — Cedar City Police arrested a man who allegedly made threatening statements, causing nearby Cedar High School to briefly go into “secure” mode just before lunchtime on Wednesday.
Devan F. Stringham, 44, was later booked into jail on suspicion of disrupting the operation of a school, a class B misdemeanor, and for violating the terms of his probation.
Cedar City Police Sgt. Justin Ludlow said the incident began when the suspect went into the interior lobby of the Southwest Technical College building located at 757 W. 800 South.
“He walked up to the secretaries there and made some disturbing comments, and then he walked away,” Ludlow said. “They lost track of where he went, so they contacted the SRO (school resource officer) over at Cedar High School.”
Both Southwest Tech and Cedar High School then went into what’s called “secure” status, meaning the outside doors were locked, with nobody being allowed to leave or enter. However, classes and other activities taking place inside the buildings continued as normal, without interruption.
Approximately 10-15 minutes later, law enforcement officers from multiple agencies made contact with the suspect as he was walking a few blocks away, near the corner of 1175 West and 900 South.
The man, subsequently identified as Stringham, was then taken into custody without further incident.
Assisting Cedar City Police officers at the scene of the arrest were personnel from Iron County Sheriff’s Office and Southern Utah University Police.
The incident caused minimal disruption at Cedar High School since it was over before the next class change.
Ludlow said the initial call came in at 11:15 a.m. Within 10 minutes, automated texts and emails had gone out notifying parents and guardians of the situation. Then, about 10 minutes later, at approximately 11:35 a.m., another notification was issued, saying, “ICSD Alert: The secure action at Cedar High School has been lifted. Thank you for your cooperation.”
Utah court records reveal that Stringham had been placed on probation just two weeks ago by 5th District Judge John Walton in St. George.
According to the charging documents filed in connection with the case, Stringham was accused of using an ax and sledgehammer to extensively damage a travel trailer belonging to his parents in St. George on March 1. He ultimately pleaded guilty to one count of criminal mischief, a third-degree felony.
At Stringham’s sentencing hearing on Aug. 3, Walton stayed the 0-5 year prison term and instead placed Stringham on probation for 36 months, to be supervised by Adult Probation and Parole. The court also waived $9,500 in fines, leaving only the $53 court security fee.
Schools are using new statewide Standard Response Protocol
“Secure” is one of five possible actions that are part of Iron County School District’s new Standard Response Protocol, with the other four being hold, lockdown, shelter and evacuate. The protocol is being adopted by school districts statewide as part of the directives outlined in Utah State Law R277-400.
Students and staff throughout Iron County School District are being trained on the protocol, and information has been sent out to parents. For more information, visit the school district website’s emergency plan page.
Southwest Tech is also adopting the same protocol. A brief news release emailed by the college on Tuesday afternoon reads as follows:
An individual entered the STECH campus, and their actions caused concern for students, faculty and staff. Once reported, STECH initiated a Secure Action based on our Standard Response Protocol and contacted Cedar City Police. The police took the person into custody shortly thereafter near campus, at which time we lifted the Secure Action and resumed normal activities.
This report is based on information provided by law enforcement officials and court documents and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
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