Parents upset at school for taking too long to notify about lockdown

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) - Parents are concerned after a man with a gun causes several southern Indiana schools to go on lockdown.

Devon Lyons was allegedly seen running down Southern Indiana streets with a rifle two days in a row. But that’s not what landed him in jail.

According to Clark County Sheriff Scottie Maples, Lyons was being monitored Tuesday and Wednesday as he walked up and down with a rifle on US 31 between Charlestown and Henryville.

He was arrested Wednesday not for anything gun related, but for driving with a suspended license.

Lyons was first spotted near Silver Creek Schools. Clark County Sheriff Scottie Maples said in a Facebook post that he ordered additional police officers to the schools.

Maples wrote a plan was formed to have every bus route in the area followed by a police officer.

No action was taken against Lyons.

“My question is why wasn’t he held for questioning or something further into it?” Henryville parent William Sadler said. “And how close was he to the school with the firearm?”

Sadler heard about the incident on Tuesday. Then on Wednesday, Lyons did it again.

This time near Henryville.

“It’s very quiet around here,” Sadler said. “Just old time feel. Like you’ve seen, we only have a four way stop. We don’t have traffic lights.”

People who saw Lyons told WAVE news he was wearing an old, tattered American flag on his back, and waved at them as he ran by.

Eventually he got into his car, and that’s when officers pulled him over and arrested him at Memphis Christian Church for driving with a suspended license.

According to Borden-Henryville Superintendent Johnny Budd, Lyons got within a quarter mile of Henryville High School.

“There was a lockdown at the school but we didn’t get any notification from the school at all,” Sadler said.

Sadler didn’t know anything had happened until his daughter told him 45 minutes after the incident. It wasn’t until 30 minutes after that, that the school notified parents.

“The school has a duty to inform us of anything that goes on with our children,” Sadler said.

A notification sent at 3:30 p.m. says the dismissal process was delayed about 15 minutes as a precaution.

Shortly after 5 p.m., another notification was sent that says families were notified as soon as students were secured.

However, Sadler and other parents want to know right away.

“Yes they’re trying to protect our children, that’s first and utmost,” Sadler said. “But the notification should be an automated service.”

Sadler hopes this situation will be a learning experience for the schools.

On Facebook, Scottie Maples reassured parents that the situation was handled well. He said due to Lyons being arrested at the same time as the bus dismissal, the school system didn’t have time to send out a message.

Lyons was taken to Clark County Jail without incident where he’s being held on a $10,000 cash only bond.

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