LAPUSH — The Quileute Tribal School was put on lockdown status briefly Wednesday morning while police took a wanted man into custody just outside the school.
Police received a report of a suspicious vehicle parked outside the school, said LaPush Police Chief William Lyon.
Officers found that the person in the vehicle, Earl Holt, 24, of Sedro-Woolley, had outstanding warrants for his arrest from both Clallam County and the city of Forks, Lyon said.
Police feared he might not cooperate, so the school was put on lockdown at 10:49 a.m., meaning doors were locked and people were not allowed to enter or leave the school, Lyon said.
Students in the school did not have contact with Holt and were not directly threatened by him, said Al Zantua, Quileute School principal, who added that the school has 72 students.
“This is a preventative measure,” Zantua said.
Holt, who once lived in Forks, had outstanding warrants for several misdemeanor infractions that occurred while he was a minor, according to the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office.
He was turned over to Clallam County sheriff’s deputies and transported to the Clallam County jail.
Zantua said that because of the school’s location on First Beach, where police often deal with unruly visitors, students are locked down once or twice a year.
“It’s best practice,” he said.
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Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.