A Pittsfield woman has now been formally charged in an incident that caused a school to be on alert earlier this morning.
At 7:28 am, Pittsfield Police responded to the 600 block of Clarksville Road after a call came into dispatch advising there was a person with a gun. The caller reportedly heard a gunshot at one point.
According to a press release from Pittsfield Police Chief Michael Starman, Officers soon arrived on scene and made contact with a woman at a residence on Clarksville Road, and the subject complied with officer commands and put the gun down.
Police seized the weapon and arrested 50-year-old Danielle King of Pittsfield. Starman says officers determined King was likely suffering from hallucinations from drug use at the time of the incident. Police located and seized methamphetamine and methamphetamine paraphernalia from the residence.
King was charged today by Pike County State’s Attorney Zack Boren with a Class 4 Felony of Unlawful Use of a Weapon and a Class 3 Felony of Unlawful Possession of Methamphetamine. King remains lodged in the Pike County Jail.
Starman says Pike County Dispatch communicated with the Pikeland School District due to the incident being near South Elementary School. He says school officials had a good plan in place to divert students to another location until the situation was under control, and thankfully, law enforcement handled the situation prior to student arrival and the normal school day was not interrupted.
Starman says the Pittsfield Police Department would like to thank the Pike County Sheriff’s Department, Pike County Dispatch, Illinois State Police, and Pikeland School District for their assistance in the incident.