• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
MENUMENU
MENUMENU
  • Home
  • About
    • Contact Us
    • FlaglerLive Board of Directors
    • Comment Policy
    • Mission Statement
    • Our Values
  • Live Calendar
  • Submit Obituary
  • Submit an Event
  • Support FlaglerLive
  • Advertise on FlaglerLive (386) 503-3808
  • Search Results

FlaglerLive

No Bull, no Fluff, No Smudges

MENUMENU
  • Flagler
    • Flagler County Commission
    • Beverly Beach
    • Economic Development Council
    • Flagler History
    • Mondex/Daytona North
    • The Hammock
    • Tourist Development Council
  • Palm Coast
    • Palm Coast City Council
    • Palm Coast Crime
  • Bunnell
    • Bunnell City Commission
    • Bunnell Crime
  • Flagler Beach
    • Flagler Beach City Commission
    • Flagler Beach Crime
  • Cops/Courts
    • Circuit & County Court
    • Florida Supreme Court
    • Federal Courts
    • Flagler 911
    • Fire House
    • Flagler County Sheriff
    • Flagler Jail Bookings
    • Traffic Accidents
  • Rights & Liberties
    • Fourth Amendment
    • First Amendment
    • Privacy
    • Second Amendment
    • Seventh Amendment
    • Sixth Amendment
    • Sunshine Law
    • Third Amendment
    • Religion & Beliefs
    • Human Rights
    • Immigration
    • Labor Rights
    • 14th Amendment
    • Civil Rights
  • Schools
    • Adult Education
    • Belle Terre Elementary
    • Buddy Taylor Middle
    • Bunnell Elementary
    • Charter Schools
    • Daytona State College
    • Flagler County School Board
    • Flagler Palm Coast High School
    • Higher Education
    • Imagine School
    • Indian Trails Middle
    • Matanzas High School
    • Old Kings Elementary
    • Rymfire Elementary
    • Stetson University
    • Wadsworth Elementary
    • University of Florida/Florida State
  • Economy
    • Jobs & Unemployment
    • Business & Economy
    • Development & Sprawl
    • Leisure & Tourism
    • Local Business
    • Local Media
    • Real Estate & Development
    • Taxes
  • Commentary
    • The Conversation
    • Pierre Tristam
    • Diane Roberts
    • Guest Columns
    • Byblos
    • Editor's Blog
  • Culture
    • African American Cultural Society
    • Arts in Palm Coast & Flagler
    • Books
    • City Repertory Theatre
    • Flagler Auditorium
    • Flagler Playhouse
    • Flagler Youth Orchestra
    • Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra
    • Palm Coast Arts Foundation
    • Special Events
  • Elections 2022
    • Amendments and Referendums
    • Presidential Election
    • Campaign Finance
    • City Elections
    • Congressional
    • Constitutionals
    • Courts
    • Governor
    • Polls
    • Voting Rights
  • Florida
    • Federal Politics
    • Florida History
    • Florida Legislature
    • Florida Legislature
    • Ron DeSantis
  • Health & Society
    • Flagler County Health Department
    • Ask the Doctor Column
    • Health Care
    • Health Care Business
    • Covid-19
    • Children and Families
    • Medicaid and Medicare
    • Mental Health
    • Poverty
    • Violence
  • All Else
    • Daily Briefing
    • Americana
    • Obituaries
    • News Briefs
    • Weather and Climate
    • Wildlife

11-Year-Old Rymfire Elementary Student Faces Felony Over Knife Possession and “Murder” Threat

January 9, 2019 | FlaglerLive | 16 Comments

Part of the alleged incident took place in Building 7, Rymfire Elementary's gym. (c FlaglerLive)
Part of the alleged incident took place in Building 7, Rymfire Elementary’s gym. (c FlaglerLive)

It did not take long for security incidents in Flagler schools to pick up where they left off in December, a month riddled by arrests and charges against students who uttered threats or brought a weapon to school.


Unlike that spate of incidents, which involved students in high school and at the district’s two middle schools, the latest incident, on the second day of school after the Christmas break, took place at Rymfire Elementary and involved an 11-year-old boy allegedly bringing a knife to school–and threatening another student.

The 11-year-old student faces a felony charge of improper exhibition of a weapon on school grounds.

The alleged victim is a 13-year-old boy. Part of the incident took place Tuesday at Building 7, the school’s gym. According to the 11-year-old’s arrest affidavit, the older boy approached 6th grade teacher Terese Fisher, upset, and told her that the younger boy had threatened to murder him. He told the teacher that the boy had a knife in his backpack.

“Several other students who witnessed the encounter [told] Fisher that [the alleged assailant] had a knife and threatened to do physical harm to another student with the knife,” the report states. Fisher was going to speak to the 11 year old. Just before she did so, she told authorities she saw him throw an object over the fence delineating the school’s property line.

The knife found behind a fence at Rymfire Elementary, allegedly thrown there by an 11-year-old student. (FCSO)
The knife found behind a fence at Rymfire Elementary, allegedly thrown there by an 11-year-old student. (FCSO)
The boy initially denied to Assistant Principal Travis Lee that he had a knife, saying he’d thrown a white comb over the fence. But P.E. coach Travis Holloway searched the area and found “a large kitchen knife with a black finished blade,” the report states, “with a white and black plastic-like handle.” The knife was about 12.5 inches long.

The student’s mother reported to the school and gave authorities permission to question her son, who said he had no intention of using the knife. Parts of what he said are censored from the report, as authorities may legally redact information that could be self-incriminating to the suspect.

The incident took place toward the end of the school day.

The student was processed at the county jail and released to his mother on order of the Department of Juvenile Justice.

The school is continuing it’s investigation. It’s not yet clear what school-based consequences the student may face. A district spokesman said “each incident is reviewed as it relates to our Student Code of Conduct. There are separate Codes of Conduct for Elementary and Secondary students.” He added: “We ask our parents and guardians to please talk with their students about the importance of school safety. It’s important for students to know they can speak with a teacher or other adult if they feel threatened at school or they know of a threat on one of our campuses.”

“We are glad the students that knew about the knife on campus came forward and reported it to their teacher,” Sheriff Rick Staly was quoted as saying in a release issued by his agency this morning. “We have been working closely with the School District to remind parents and students about appropriate speech and behavior in schools. We have a zero tolerance policy in Flagler County and bringing a weapon to school is in violation of that and you will be charged.”

In the same release, Superintendent Jim Tager reminded parents to “take this opportunity to speak to your child about the importance of school safety. While peer pressure is great at this age, we want to encourage students to feel comfortable reporting any information they may have that compromises their safety and the safety of others. Working together we can maintain an environment where students are free to focus on learning.”

He had used similar language in a welcome-back message sent parents by phone and email at the end of the Christmas break.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email
You and your neighbors collectively read our articles about 25,000 times each day (that's not a typo) with up to 65,000 daily reads during emergencies like hurricanes. Flagler County residents rely on FlaglerLive for essential, bold and analytical journalism that cannot be found anywhere else. But we depend on your support. Please join our December fund drive! If you donate the cost of a scoop of ice cream, you will be helping us continue to provide comprehensive local news and honest, serious journalism for our community. If you can donate more or become a monthly donor, even better. Donations are tax deductible since FlaglerLive is a 501(c)(3) non-profit news organization. Donate by clicking anywhere in this box. Think of it as buying a scoop, in every sense of the term!  
All donors' identities are kept confidential and anonymous.
   

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Veteran says

    January 9, 2019 at 3:06 pm

    They sure start them young in PC!

    Reply
  2. The original woody says

    January 9, 2019 at 4:03 pm

    She said he no intention on using the knife?I guess it was O.K. to take to school,must have been show and tell that day.

    Reply
  3. MomofA13YearOld says

    January 9, 2019 at 4:09 pm

    Why is there a ThirTEEN year-old at Rymfire?

    Reply
  4. Anonymous says

    January 9, 2019 at 6:32 pm

    I’m thinking there is more to the story. Was the 11yr old being bullied by the 13 yr old? How is a 13yr old in elementary school? It is absolutely not ok for a child to bring a weapon to school but my elementary school child was bullied and nothing was done by the counselors or administrators. I think the schools need to take bullying more seriously so situations like this won’t happen.

    Reply
  5. Dave says

    January 9, 2019 at 7:03 pm

    Usually something like this happens because a child is being bullied and threatened

    Reply
  6. Concerned Citizen says

    January 9, 2019 at 7:38 pm

    When will our School system start addressing it’s security concerns? Or lack thereof.

    Reply
  7. pc says

    January 9, 2019 at 7:38 pm

    What’s to say that the 13 yr old wasn’t bullying the 11 yr old all year??? That he felt his only resource was to bring the knife (I am not condoning it) to school to defend himself?? That maybe … just maybe… he felt there was no other way to defend himself??? That he had told the teachers or maybe not… maybe thought he would be picked on for being a snitch??? Before you start bashing this child, maybe you were one of the lucky ones not to get bullied or maybe you were the bully

    Reply
  8. This moms over it!! says

    January 9, 2019 at 11:50 pm

    My daughter goes to Buddy Taylor and its happened there teo. Bug I know some parents at Rymifire. Students tell the teachers things and they get ignored. I know a parent that stated that a teacher told her bullying is not verbal its physical. Someone needs to educate the teachers!!!

    Reply
  9. Bill says

    January 10, 2019 at 10:36 am

    @ Veteran says:
    January 9, 2019 at 3:06 pm
    They sure start them young in PC!

    How do you know this kid is from Palm Coast?

    Reply
  10. Speak the truth says

    January 10, 2019 at 11:34 am

    Parents truly need to get involved in their kids lives I know when my kid was 11 I used to put his lunch in his backpack and check everything to make sure he had everything I definitely would have seen if he had a weapon. I don’t understand why it’s so hard for these parents 2 teach their children the right thing to be involved in their lives with all that is going on in the school’s you would think a parent would show some concern and not teach their kids to be bullies she needs to be held responsible as well.

    Reply
  11. Citizen says

    January 10, 2019 at 1:53 pm

    Elementary students are allowed to fail up to 3 grade levels while at the K-5 school, which means there are many 3rd grade students that are 11 years old and 5th grade students that are 13 and 14 years old.

    Reply
  12. Flagler Parent says

    January 10, 2019 at 5:35 pm

    Rymfire does NOT take bullying seriously. My 11yo daughter was sexually harassed daily there last year. After being repeatedly groped in the lunch line, she was finally moved to another class. Where she received “d*ck pics”. From 10 year olds, who then showed up at my house at 4am. School’s solution? Switch her to another class! We put her in another SCHOOL. When I asked to be able to contact the boys’ parents I was told that isn’t allowed. I don’t believe they were EVER contacted by anyone…

    Reply
  13. Can you read? says

    January 11, 2019 at 12:06 pm

    @bill

    Veteran knows this kid is from PC because that’s where Rymfire is.

    Reply
  14. Diane says

    January 13, 2019 at 8:01 am

    Any child found with bringing any weapons to school should be expelled and home schooled . Start eliminating your problems before you have catastrophe……….

    Reply
  15. ASF says

    January 13, 2019 at 6:08 pm

    @Diane–I don’t whether ordering a child to be “homeschooled”, when that is the environment their behavior is coming from to begin with, is the answer.

    Reply
  16. This person says

    March 27, 2019 at 9:06 pm

    He wasn’t being bullied, he was the bully

    Reply
  • politis matovina attorneys for justice personal injury law auto truck accidents
  • grand living realty

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Advertisers

  • grand living realty
  • politis matovina attorneys for justice personal injury law auto truck accidents

Recent Comments

  • Laurel on I’m Almost 67, I Worked 22 Years With Walmart, Yet Can’t Afford to Retire
  • Jonathan on Mom Arrested After Witnesses Report her Brutalizing Her 7-Year-Old Child on A1A
  • Celia Pugliese on Its Streets Degrading, Palm Coast Looks for Electric Vehicles to Pay Their Fair Share of Road Taxes
  • Deed Nutz on 251-Unit Wilton Apartment Project Breaks Ground in Town Center, Employing 300 During Construction
  • R.S. on Its Streets Degrading, Palm Coast Looks for Electric Vehicles to Pay Their Fair Share of Road Taxes
  • b on A Memorial Month for Our Rights
  • pete on Its Streets Degrading, Palm Coast Looks for Electric Vehicles to Pay Their Fair Share of Road Taxes
  • David Schaefer on Its Streets Degrading, Palm Coast Looks for Electric Vehicles to Pay Their Fair Share of Road Taxes
  • Mary Fusco on Palm Coast’s Belk Converted Into One of 16 Outlet Stores as Company Struggles
  • Karen on I’m Almost 67, I Worked 22 Years With Walmart, Yet Can’t Afford to Retire
  • Sherry on I’m Almost 67, I Worked 22 Years With Walmart, Yet Can’t Afford to Retire
  • Sherry on I’m Almost 67, I Worked 22 Years With Walmart, Yet Can’t Afford to Retire
  • Sherry on I’m Almost 67, I Worked 22 Years With Walmart, Yet Can’t Afford to Retire
  • Sherry on I’m Almost 67, I Worked 22 Years With Walmart, Yet Can’t Afford to Retire
  • DaleL on DeSantis Lifts Hold on Killing of Duane Owen as Attorneys Battle Over Competence
  • Steve Vanne on 251-Unit Wilton Apartment Project Breaks Ground in Town Center, Employing 300 During Construction

Log in