Residential Burglary Investigation Prompts Alert at Reeds Ferry School

Update 6:35 p.m.: Police are investigating a burglary on Bedford Road that occurred on Thursday morning and they are asking if anyone noticed anything suspicious in the area to contact them.

The report of the burglary, around 11:30 a.m., created a heavy police presence in the area of Reeds Ferry Elementary School shortly before the mid-morning kindergaren transfer, Roy said. Because of that, she said the school resource officers from Merrimack High School and Merrimack Middle School were dispatched to the elementary school to keep a calm presence while police investigated nearby.

Roy said the school never went into an official lockdown mode as people were still able to come and go from the building – including the kindergarten students arriving at the school – but the shades were pulled in the building and the students were dropped off in a different area than usual, Roy said.

A full lockdown means all doors interior and exterior are locked, shades pulled and no one is able to come and go from the building until lockdown is lifted.

"We sent the resource officers to the school and had the shades pulled in the school in case anyone saw the police officers in the area," Roy said. "We wanted to be able to quell any concerns that might come up ... It was more of for piece of mind to let people know the police were there if there were concerns."

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Roy said because K-9 Gunny and Officer Greg Walters were tracking in an area not too far from where the kindergarten students are dropped off, police asked to have that drop off moved elsewhere at the building.

"I think it was the appropriate response for the situation we had," Roy said of the alert scenario at the school. The trail from the burglary never actually led to the school property, just close to it.

A recorded notice apprising parents of the situation was sent using the school's phone alert system near the end of the school day, according to several parents who contacted Patch.

Roy said she couldn't confirm at this time an earlier report from School Business Administrator Matt Shevenell that a trail led back to the Bedford Road Baptist Church parking lot.

"It's still early in the investigation to release specifics," Roy said.

She also couldn't comment on whether they had any suspects at this point, but she said evidence was retrieved from the house that would help them develop the case.

At this time it's unknown if the burglary is tied to any other recent burglaries in the area, but if any evidence collected at the scene ties incidents together, they will investigate the cases accordingly, Roy said.

Roy said the burglary did occur sometime in the morning hours of Thursday. She asked that anyone who may have seen something out of place in that area of Bedford Road near the school and church, between 8 and 11:30 a.m., to contact Merrimack Police at 424-3774. 

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Original story: Reed's Ferry Elementary School was placed in a brief lock down Thursday morning while police began an investigation into a burglary of a home nearby, according to school district business administrator Matt Shevenell.

Shevenell said police were alerted to a residential burglary not far from this school this morning and a dog tracked a trail back to the Bedford Road Baptist Church. The trail ended at the church parking lot, Shevenell said, and at no point led to the school or the woods around the school. The lock down was put into effect around 11:30 a.m. and was precautionary and brief, and was lifted when police found no evidence of anyone in the nearby vicinity, Shevenell said.

He said he was unable to get more information from the police at this point but that there is no reason for concern and that police had cleared the area.

Shevenell said all afternoon pick-ups will proceed as normal and a message will be sent out to parents regarding the incident.

Patch has contacted Merrimack Police and will provide you with further updates as they are made available.