CROWN POINT, Ind. (AP) — A fifth-grade teacher in northwestern Indiana charged with felony intimidation after authorities say she told a student she had a “kill list” of students and staff has agreed to stay away from the school.
Angelica Carrasquillo, 25, of Griffith signed a no-contact order Friday without objection when she appeared wearing a green jail uniform in Lake Superior Court, The Times of Northwest Indiana reported.
Judge Kathleen Lang affirmed Carrasquillo’s not guilty plea to one felony count of intimidation.
Carrasquillo was being held with a bond set at $20,000 surety or $2,000 cash.
Court documents say Carrasquillo communicated “a threat to commit murder” on Oct. 12.
Once officials at the school where she was employed, St. Stanislaus in East Chicago, learned of the threat, they immediately confronted her and escorted her from the building, the Diocese of Gary said in a message to parents.
When Carrasquillo was asked why she wanted to kill herself and others, she reportedly told school officials: “I’m having trouble with my mental health, and sometimes the kids do not listen in the classroom. I also have trauma caused when I went to high school.”
The threats came to light when a counselor overhead a fifth-grader say, “I heard Ms. Carrasquillo wants to kill herself and has a list.”
The student reportedly said Carrasquillo voiced the threat to him directly and told the student he was on the list.
The principal and an assistant principal said Carrasquillo gave them the name of one student on the “kill list,” but she did not reveal all the names, a court document said.
Carrasquillo allegedly told school officials “she was only joking about it all.”
East Chicago police said they are obtaining an emergency detention order for the teacher from the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office. She was taken into custody at her home Oct. 13.
