An annual “toga” party in Oak Grove, generally attended by high school juniors and seniors, was cancelled – and a 16-year-old arrested – last weekend after law enforcement officials received word of a threat of gun violence.
Lamar County Sheriff Danny Rigel said the teenager, who is from another jurisdiction outside of Oak Grove and threatened to shoot a student at the party. was located at approximately 8:30 p.m. August 4, the night of the event. The party, which is private and not sanctioned by any school body, had been cancelled by the time the suspect was taken into custody in Marion County and transported to the juvenile detention center in Lamar County.
“(The cancellation of the party) was in respect to the safety of our kids,” Rigel said. “I would like to say that our parents that were understanding and offered support, I appreciate them, because it’s a hard decision to make.
“But it really wasn’t that hard of a decision, because I’ve got three sons that are grown now, but you’ve got to constantly look out for their well-being. You’ve got to take threats credible.”
Law enforcement officials are still looking into the matter, as Rigel said it is a possibility that the suspect’s friends also were in on the threat.
“He had some other friends that were potentially going to participate in the shooting,” Rigel said. “So we have him in custody, but investigators are working real hard to try to identify who (the other people) are, so they can be dealt with too.
“There’s just a lot of unknowns, as far as he was in custody, but we didn’t know who else we were dealing with. So that was just the prudent thing to do, was just to cancel (the party).”
Rigel also addressed the issue on Facebook, where he said he understood that many students and parents were disappointed that the party was canceled.
“Our main concern is for the safety and welfare of our children,” he posted. “(I) hope everyone understands.”
The annual celebration has been around, in one form or another, since the 1980s. It is put on by students’ parents and is held at a private residence or venue each year.
