Man in bulletproof vest arrested near Haviland Middle School with knife, rifle magazines
Hyde Park officials say police are actively investigating and additional officers are being deployed at the school.
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A man wearing camouflage and a bulletproof vest was arrested Monday after school employees spotted him on the grounds of Haviland Middle School in Hyde Park, according to the school district.
The Hyde Park Central School District says the man was riding a bicycle through the backfield as students returned to the building from lunch.
Staff approached him, and police were called.
According to the district, Hyde Park police later located the man off campus and found him wearing a bulletproof vest, carrying a knife at his waist and in possession of two rifle magazines, one containing ammunition.
Authorities say no gun was found. The man was arrested and later taken to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation.
Parents are now questioning how the incident was handled.
“The fact that he had a bulletproof vest on, he clearly wasn’t just going out for a bike ride,” said Haviland parent Alonna Lankard, who also administers the Hyde Park Moms and Dads Facebook group.
Lankard says parents flooded the group with concerns after learning about the incident.
“There was no lockdown. There was no hold-in-place. There was nothing done during the time the kids were in school,” Lankard said.
She also questioned why families did not receive notification from the district until after 7 p.m.
In a follow-up message Tuesday, Superintendent Dr. Pedro Roman defended the district’s response.
Roman said the man was not confrontational when staff approached him, apologized and continued riding his bicycle off campus. The district says there were no visible signs he had weapons while he was on school property.
Roman said administrators and law enforcement determined, based on the information available at the time, that a lockdown or secure lockout was not necessary. That description differs somewhat from the district’s initial message to families, which said the man “subsequently fled” after staff approached him.
Town Supervisor Al Torreggiani says Hyde Park police are actively investigating and that the town will make additional resources available if needed.
Torreggiani also said there would be an increased police presence at Haviland Middle School Tuesday as an additional safety precaution.
News 12, however, did not observe an obvious increased police presence outside the middle school during roughly two hours there late Tuesday morning into the early afternoon.
The district says it is reviewing its security and communication procedures and adding additional “No Trespassing” signage.
Hyde Park police have not publicly identified the man or announced charges. News 12 has reached out for additional information.
The Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office tells News 12 it has no information about the incident or any related case at this time.
