From MCPD Detective Sgt. Mike McWilliams:
On 10/17/19 at 8:45am The Mt. Carmel Police Department was contacted by the Mt. Carmel Grade School in reference to a suspicious male subject by the wood line behind the school. The subject reportedly stood there briefly and then reentered the wooded area. The Grade School elected to go into a "soft lockdown" until police could investigate the matter. Officers from the Mt. Carmel Police Department and the Wabash County Sheriff's Office responded and walked the area. No one was found and all appeared secure. NO THREATS were ever made and the schools followed their protocols accordingly. Local law enforcement regularly train with school district staff to keep the children safe when cases such as this one arise.