Gun pulled in parental dispute in Tarkington
TARKINGTON — An incident between parents at Tarkington High School led to one parent brandishing a handgun on Monday morning.
According to a statement from TISD Superintendent Dr. Elna Davis, the incident took place during an altercation between the two parents in the THS parking lot when one of the parents pulled the gun and pointed it at the other parent.
The incident did not escalate any further, as THS administrators and the school resource officer responded immediately and diffused the situation, including taking possession of the firearm.
The parent that was taken into custody is Tia-Larae Haruko Gnehm, and she has been charged with bringing a firearm onto school grounds and threatening another person.
The incident appears to have resulted from a fight between two female students in the THS Commons area earlier in the morning. According to a Facebook post by Liberty County Pct. 5 Constable David Hunter, the parents involved in the altercation were called to the school after the student fight before the parents got into a subsequent dispute.
“While in the parking lot of the HS, the parents exchanged words, and the situation got out of control,” said Hunter in the statement.
According to the statement from TISD, the weapon was not fired, and the parent was arrested at the scene of the incident.
“Our highest priority is the safety and well-being of our students and our TISD community. As a community, I urge everyone to resolve conflicts calmly, professionally, and safely, being mindful that we are setting examples for our children of how to reach peaceful solutions to disagreements without involving threats of violence,” Davis said.
Davis praised the response of school officials, the Pct. 5 Constable SRO, the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office, and those who responded to the incident.
“Finally, I urge the TISD community to immediately report any threat of violence or any activity that could harm students, staff, local law enforcement, or TISD administration,” she concluded.