Teacher charged in connection with threat found at Hazel Park Junior High

An Oakland County teacher who allegedly found a written note last week threatening to blow up the junior high where he worked but never reported it is now facing a charge of making a threat himself.

Paul Jacobs, 40, of Livonia, is charged with making an intentional threat to commit an act of violence against a school, a 1-year misdemeanor, officials and court records said. He was charged over the weekend in Hazel Park's 43rd District Court.

A magistrate set Jacobs' bond at $10,000 and scheduled his next court date for Feb. 28, 2023, Hazel Park Police Chief Brian Buchholz said in a statement.

Investigators said the charges stem from a threat made against Hazel Park Junior High Feb. 2. After classes were dismissed, one of the building's staff members found a piece of paper with a message that said the school would be blown up the next day, police said.

Officers were called, and along with school staff, began investigating. They determined that a teacher at the school said he was aware of the threatening messages, but didn't report it to authorities, according to Buchholz. They also learned the teacher had put the note on display so that others would find it.

"We don’t have evidence to say one way or another if he wrote it," said Buchholz. "He is seen placing it on the desk by (an) entry door between classes when no students were around."

School officials canceled all after-school activities Thursday and police summoned canine units to search the building.

Police located the teacher suspected of making the threat, questioned him, and arrested him, Buchholz said. Detectives then submitted their findings to the county prosecutor's office, which authorized charges against him.

According to the school district's website, Jacobs is a social studies teacher at the junior high school. On Thursday, school officials said Jacobs is no longer employed by the district.

Amy Kruppe, the district's superintendent, sent a letter to parents Wednesday, informing them that a person was arrested in connection with the threat.

"More details regarding the investigation will be provided by the Hazel Park Police Department," she said.

She added: "The safety of all students and staff is the number one priority. Hazel Park Schools, the Hazel Park Police Department, and the City of Hazel Park will not tolerate threats or hoaxes related to campus safety under any circumstance."

Kruppe also said police and school officials determined the threat was never a credible one. Still, she said the district takes all threats seriously and thoroughly investigates each one, regardless of its credibility.

"We will pursue appropriate action regarding any matter that causes disruption to learning environments or makes the school community feel unsafe," she said.

Fake threats against schools have been a challenge for districts and law enforcement officials across Michigan. Earlier this week, false threats were phoned in to more than 6 schools across the state in what authorities believe may have been a coordinated campaign.

An investigation into a threat involving a teacher and against a school seems to be unusual. A spokesman for the Oakland County Sheriff's Office said Thursday that the agency does not know of any cases in the communities where it provides law enforcement services where a school threat was made by a teacher.

cramirez@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @CharlesERamirez