WALSENBURG — Pueblo Police announced Friday morning the arrest of 43-year-old Norman Renegar on several charges related to reported threats made in Huerfano County. According to a release, he surrendered peacefully as Pueblo Police and the Huerfano County Sheriff's Office work together to make an arrest.
Renegar is charged with extortion, felony menacing, and harassment. No mention was made of where law enforcement made the arrest.
On Thursday, all students in Walsenburg schools in Huerfano County were released early due to a threat made by a parent. The schools included John Mall High School and Peakview School.
According to the superintendent of Huerfano School District Re-1, Michael Moore, a 9-year-old girl died off school grounds on Thursday. The Huerfano County Sheriff's Office said that the "distraught" non-custodial parent of the child allegedly made threats to a local government agency. They said specific departments and locations were threatened by this individual.
Following this, the superintendent decided it was in the best interest of students to release them early to go home.
All Huerfano County Office’s are operating on a Lockout status until further notice.
— Huerfano County PIO (@HuerfanoPIO) September 2, 2021
Huerfano County's PIO said that county offices went into a lockout status and that the Huerfano County Department of Human Services closed.
Spanish Peaks Regional Health Center (SPRHC) reported that at approximately 11:30 a.m. Thursday the health center was placed under a facility-wide lockdown after a disruptive person in the ER made a "credible threat" made to staff members.
According to The Safety and Security Director for SPRHC, Dave McGraw, everyone at the health center was safe. He also said the health center went on lock-down simultaneously with school district, but he could not comment on whether or not it is related to the student's death. McGraw also says he does not believe the suspect is still in Walsenburg.
The Sheriff's Office said that there was no threat to the general public.
Huerfano School District Re-1 posted on their Facebook page the following:
