Missing student found unharmed
By Ethan Smith
Published in News on January 30, 2017 6:54 PM
A student who walked out of class at Rosewood Middle School today and couldn't be found afterward prompted a large emergency response from law enforcement and caused the school to be put on lockdown for around two hours.
The student was reported missing to the Wayne County Sheriff's Office around 1:30 p.m. today, said Maj. Tom Effler, and was found in a locker near the gym approximately two hours later.
Effler said it was a 13-year-old white male who walked out of class, and was unharmed and safe when he was found.
"He is safe, he is home and he is not harmed at all," Effler said.
Effler said the sheriff's office, the N.C. State Highway Patrol, a sheriff's office helicopter and several other agencies all responded to search for the child.
"Pretty much everybody that could," Effler said.
Effler said the school was placed on a "soft lockdown" while the search took place.
"Nobody is coming or going is what it (the lockdown) amounts to, except for officials," Effler said.
Effler said other schools in the area were notified of the incident, as well as nearby businesses.