A 26-year-old man from the Clearfield area was under the influence of drugs and hallucinating when he tried to gain unauthorized entry to Easterly Parkway Elementary School on Friday morning, according to State College Police.
Shane David Valence, who police said is homeless, tried to enter the main lobby of the school just before 10:45 a.m. but was unable to because of security measures. He was apprehended by police just minutes later.
Centre County 911 received a call at 10:43 a.m. from a woman who said a male, later identified as Valence, running from the school approached her car on Ellen Avenue saying that someone had been shot and that people were chasing him. After he was taken into custody, Valence ‘was found to be under the influence of controlled substances and hallucinating about the shooting and people chasing him,’ police said. ‘There was also no evidence that a firearm was ever involved in the incident.’
State College police officers were on the scene within one minute and by 10:46 a.m. reported that they were in the school office and that it was safe and secure.
Officers located Valence at 10:50 a.m. on Nimitz Avenue. He was transported to Mount Nittany Medical Center for treatment for drug use and has been charged with disorderly conduct, possession of drug paraphernalia and public drunkenness. A warrant for his arrest will be served upon his release from the hospital.
The grounds and interior of the school were checked by officers from State College, Penn State and Ferguson Township police departments and the Centre County Sheriff’s Office, along with a K-9 unit, and the site was verified to be safe.
Easterly Parkway Elementary immediately was placed on lockdown during the incident. Police said that State College Area High School also was placed on lockdown when the school resource officer there heard the initial report.
A State College Police Department statement said school safety is a top priority and commended the school staff and 911 caller.
‘A review of this event verified that measures taken by staff at Easterly Parkway Elementary prevented this individual from gaining access to the school,’ the statement reads. ‘The immediate and precise reporting by the 911 caller greatly assisted police with his immediate capture. We encourage the public to stay vigilant to suspicious behavior, and accurately report events to police.’
State College Area School District Superintendent Bob O’Donnell, who provided multiple updates to families and the community in the morning and afternoon on Friday, said that the school’s security system worked as planned, but that as is the case with any security matter, administrators and staff will review what occurred as well as security measures district-wide.
‘I’m proud of how our secretaries responded so quickly to the young man who tried to gain entry into the building, as well as our faculty and counselor who cared for students who were scared seeing so many police officers on campus,’ O’Donnell said. ‘I’m also very grateful to the State College police for their rapid response to the matter, their thorough investigation, and their assistance in debriefing the incident with our faculty, staff and principal.
‘As a district, we’re extremely fortunate to have such immediate support from our local police. We will use today’s experience to review our practices and identify areas where we might improve safety measures in our schools.’
