Macedonia Elementary School and Creekland Middle School were put on lockdown, and students were sent home with a letter to parents Tuesday regarding possible terroristic threats after Alvin Parker, 35, threatened to harm students and parents at the schools, according to police.
Parker is being held at Duval County Jail in Florida on charges of terroristic threats and is awaiting extradition to Cherokee County on the charges. He could also face additional charges, local police say.
According to police reports, the other coach called authorities when his former fellow football coach made terroristic threats against the man’s children.
Parker had been a coach on the team the man’s son played for and which the father helped coach also, and the two became friends. However, after a falling out, Parker sent harassing text messages to the man’s cellphone, the report shows.
In February, Parker began sending his former friend text messages accusing the other coach of stealing money from him and kidnapping Parker’s own son, according to the report.
The police report said the man instructed Parker to stop contacting him Friday, but the texts continued until Tuesday when Parker threatened to harm the man’s sons while they were attending school at Macedonia.
Parker’s former girlfriend and mother of his son also told police she received texts from Parker stating he was going to kill her family members living in Jacksonville, Fla., where Parker was now living with his mother and stepfather.
The report noted that extra patrols were put on the man’s residence, Creekland and Macedonia schools following the threats.
Lt. Jay Baker, spokesman for the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, said Parker has now waived extradition and he expects to have the suspect transported to Cherokee County within the next week to face charges of terroristic threats.
In the letter to parents, Macedonia Principal Tammy Castleberry and Creekland Principal Dr. Deborah Wiseman said school administration initiated a “lock-up” throughout Tuesday morning and afternoon for both facilities while school district police and the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office determined “the level of security necessary for students and staff.”
The principals said in the letter Parker’s association with the involved parents and students appeared to be associated with a community youth football organization “outside of the purview of either school.”
“The safety and welfare of students is our first priority and we appreciate the efforts of faculty, students and community in helping make our schools as safe as possible,” the letter said.
The case remains under investigation and bond has not yet been set, Baker said.
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