A fifth grade teacher has been arrested after informing one of her students that she had a “kill list” of children and colleagues, according to police.
On Wednesday, fifth grade teacher Angelica Carrasquillo-Torres reportedly told a student about a kill list she made that included students and staff at a school in East Chicago, Indiana.
“At approximately 12:45 p.m. a 5th grade student told his/her counselor that their 5th grade teacher made comments to him/her about killing herself, students, and staff at St. Stanislaus School,” East Chicago Police Department said in a statement. “The teacher further told the student that she has a list and that he/she was on the bottom of that list.”
The student involved – Portia Jones – told WLS-TV, “I’m really, like, scared and worried. She said she wanted to choke us and she wanted to kill herself.”
Jones told WBBM-TV, “She said that she wanted to kill her middle school friends, her high school friends, and half of her family.”
“Then she admitted that she had a ‘kill list,'” Jones added.
Her father – Quiannis Jones – said, “She said that these kids get on her nerves so much that she wanted to kill them. Like, what type of person says that?”
“She ain’t mental. She’s a teacher,” he added. “Come on now. You all did a background check — unless you all didn’t.”
Once officials at the St. Stanislaus Catholic School found out about the alleged kill list, the teacher was summoned to the principal’s office. School officials say that the teacher admitted to making the statements to the student and confessed that she had made a kill list.
Court documents show Carrasquillo-Torres admitting to the dangerous allegations, “I want to kill myself, staff and students, and I did also make a kill list.”
The teacher allegedly 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.”
“During the conversation the teacher named a specific student on her list, but did not provide the list,” authorities said. “The principal then advised the teacher to leave and not return to school pending an investigation.”
The teacher was escorted off the school campus.
However, school officials allegedly did not notify the East Chicago Police Department until four hours after the incident. At around 5 p.m., police arrived at the St. Stanislaus School – located about 20 miles south of downtown Chicago. Investigators spoke with the principal and assistant principal about the potential violent threats allegedly issued by the 25-year-old educator.
Law enforcement notified the Criminal Investigation Division. An emergency detention order for the elementary school was approved by the Lake County Prosecutor’s Office.
Carrasquillo-Torres was arrested at her home by the East Chicago Police Department at approximately 11:15 a.m. on Thursday without incident.
Carrasquillo-Torres – who is from Griffith, Indiana – has been charged with felony intimidation, according to court documents.
Classes at St. Stanislaus Catholic School were held remotely on Friday.
Quiannis Jones said, “They really need to work on this one because this is something serious. She’s really, probably, not ever going back there.”
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