Woman makes threats at FES

A Flomaton woman was arrested on felony charges Friday after she went onto the campus of Flomaton Elementary School threatening to kill students and teachers but was quickly taken into custody by the school's resource officer.

Lynda Ann Thompson, 40, 920 Titi St., was charged with making a terrorist threat and disorderly conduct. She remains in the Escambia County Detention Center in Brewton.

According to Escambia County Sheriff Heath Jackson, Thompson was outside the lunchroom at the school when she began cursing at students and teachers and threatening to kill them if they called the police.

Sheriff Jackson said a teacher hit the crisis alert button and Resource Officer Deputy Randy Gulley responded and found Thompson in the street.

Gulley reported the woman was 'talking out of her head' and wanted to play chess and if she didn't get what she wanted she would do harm to the children at the school. Deputy Gulley then took Thompson into custody.

Sheriff Jackson said a teacher told the officer that Thompson began making numerous threats and was cursing in front of the children and then told the teacher "don't think about calling the police".

A statement released by FES Principal Courtney Bride on the school's Facebook page stated "A person was found on our campus who was not an employee of Escambia County Schools. A lockdown was initiated by a teacher using the Centegjx badge alert system. The school resource officer, principal and county personnel immediately located the person and she was arrested. She was never inside any building on campus."

Sheriff Jackson said Thompson is another example of a failed mental health system by the state of Alabama.

"Ms. Thompson is someone who should have been getting help with mental health issues instead of being locked up in jail," Jackson said. "The mental health system in this state has turned its back on people like Ms. Thompson and thousands of others across this state."

Sheriff Jackson said he is committed to keeping the schools in the county safe, even if it means doing the job the mental health system should be doing. He said Wednesday he was going to file a mental health petition on Thompson to see if something can be done to not only help her but to help the community.

He said the mental health system is a joke and people keep getting turned away without getting the help they need and then send them back into communities that have to deal with the problems.