Arrest made in Smith-Cotton High School intrusion incident

A U.S. Army soldier accused of entering Smith-Cotton High School on Saturday night and reporting a prisoner escape to school officials has been arrested and charged with making a terrorist threat.

Michael John Fredrick, 19, of Kansas City was arrested at 10 a.m. at a residence in Excelsior Springs by the Clay County Sheriff’s Office.

Fredrick was spotted dropping off a student at Winnetonka High School by a school resource officer. After stopping and identifying Fredrick, the officer contacted Pettis County School Resource Officer John Cline. Pettis County Sheriff Kevin Bond said Fredrick had already been identified as a person of interest in the case and they were working to locate him, according to a news release from the Pettis County Sheriff’s Office.

Fredrick, who is enlisted in the U.S Army and stationed at Fort Leonard Wood, has been identified as absent without leave, or AWOL, by Army officials, according to the release.

The Pettis County prosecutor filed a class D felony charge against Fredrick on Thursday and bond was set at $3,500, court records show.

The charge stems from an alleged disturbance Saturday evening at Smith-Cotton High School during a senior dinner fundraiser. According to a probable cause statement provided by the Circuit Court of Pettis County, Fredrick entered the campus and told students he needed to speak with a principal. Fredrick was directed to Sedalia School District 200 Assistant Superintendent Brad Pollitt.

Pollitt said the subject told him he was instructed by the Army to warn all the schools in the area regarding the escape of six convicts. Fredrick said the convicts could be on the way to the school to kidnap or hold students hostage, the probable cause statement stated.

A review of surveillance footage was able to reconstruct Fredrick’s movement inside the school and capture several high-quality facial images. A statewide alert and request for information was distributed through the Missouri Intelligence Analysis Center. After the alert was issued, Fredrick was identified by his former high school principal.

As of late Thursday afternoon, Fredrick was being transported to Pettis County to face the charge, according to the sheriff’s release.