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A Texas educator is facing legal trouble after allegedly staging a stabbing incident that led to a school lockdown.
Nicole Truelove, a teacher at Splendora High School, has been charged with tampering with evidence and making a false report to provoke an emergency response. These charges were announced during a press briefing by the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and reported by Fox 26.
Currently, it remains unclear if the 53-year-old teacher has entered a plea, and efforts to contact her legal representation have been unsuccessful.
The incident unfolded on April 9 when a panic alarm was activated following claims that a student assaulted a teacher. This alarm triggered a campus lockdown and drew the attention of around 100 officers from various law enforcement agencies, according to a press release from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.
During the lockdown, students were required to remain in their classrooms, as detailed in a statement from the Splendora Independent School District shared with Oxygen. Additionally, parents were notified to collect their children from the school.
However, after reviewing surveillance video, interviewing witnesses and collecting physical evidence, police determined Truelove’s injuries were self-inflicted and, per the press release, “the entire incident was a hoax.”
Truelove had scratch-like marks on her chest, according to a probable cause statement per KHOU, however, when a razor blade fell out from her shirt, she attempted to pick it up and conceal it.
Truelove’s bond was set at $20,000 ($5,000 for the misdemeanor and $15,000 for the felony), per the news station.
“What a waste of resources,” the judge said in the footage, adding that if Truelove is released, she must wear a GPS tracking monitor and stay away from all Splendora Independent School District properties.
Truelove will next appear in court on May 6, a Montgomery County District Clerk spokesperson told Oxygen.