Investigators: online threat did not involve Nixon-Smiley CISD

Law enforcement was out in force Friday, Nov. 10, at all Nixon-Smiley school campuses after district administrators had been made aware of “a concerning statement circulating on social media” that prompted them to take action.

According to a Facebook post made to families of Nixon-Smiley CISD students, the Nixon Police Department, Gonzales County Sheriff’s Office and Texas Rangers were called in to investigate the statement, although it did not directly identify Nixon-Smiley CISD as an intended target for violence. The content of the statement was not made public due to the investigation.

It was determined later that the threat was not directed towards Nixon-Smiley CISD, but administrators still took it seriously enough to seek assistance.

“In an abundance of caution, the Nixon Police Department, the Smiley Marshal, the Gonzales County Sheriff's Department, and the Texas Department of Public Safety will be on the campuses throughout the day, on Friday, Nov. 10,” the district announced.

“Please know the district takes these situations seriously and investigates them fully. If the district believes there is a legitimate threat to our campuses at any point, we will immediately communicate with parents via phone calls, texts, and social media postings. There is nothing more important to us than the safety of our students and staff.”

Sheriff Keith Schmidt told county commissioners on Monday, Nov. 13, that his department had “gotten intel that Thursday night around 10 o’clock or so and continued to work it through the night.”

“On Friday morning, our office, the constables’ offices, Nixon PD and DPS went down there and had a large presence around all of those schools,” Schmidt said. “We just set up down there and made sure those kids were all safe.

“We did have a little bit of a deal that's happened since and we picked up some intel out of the jail and so, we're pushing that back to DPS as well. I’m not sure that there was really anything to that one down there, but you never take those lightly.”

County Judge Pat Davis, a retired DPS trooper himself, also was at the campuses to provide backup and commented on the situation.

“I just want to personally thank all the law enforcement and the first responders that were all there,” Davis said. “Anytime an incident like that takes place, it's just amazing that our locals and the state and everybody comes together and how well it works.”