Math Teacher In Washington Arrested For Verbally Threatening To Shoot Students

A math teacher in Washington was arrested after she was reported to have verbally threatened students to shoot them.

Julie Hillend-Jones was taken into custody on November 13 when she repeated the threat to a resource deputy during a visit to her home.

The 58-year-old Hillend-Jones taught geometry at Emerald Ridge High School in Puyallup in southern Seattle.

While it wasn't clear why she made the threats and no particular students were named, Hillend-Jones first made the audacious statement to a caseworker over the phone while off-campus on November 12. The caseworker then called the Pierce County Sheriff's Department and reported the threat.

Deputies immediately contacted the school administration who then placed Hillend-Jones on administrative leave as investigation went underway.

“She didn't back down from the threats so we arrested her,” spokesman Ed Troyer told The News Tribune.

Hillend-Jones was booked into the Pierce County Jail for Threat to Injure, said the Sheriff's Department in a post on Facebook.

No weapons were found after law enforcers searched her house that she shared with her husband.

“If a kid makes those kind of statement, they end up going to jail, and they have to pay the price for it," Troyer clarified.

“If a teacher makes them, that's a bad example and they have to be held accountable just as well,” pointed Troyer, adding that nobody talks about guns and making threats in school.

A statement from the Puyallup School District said that the caseworker followed their protocol for threats to immediately notify law enforcement. It further noted that “Making threats against the safety of students and staff is a felony crime and taken very seriously by Puyallup School District.”

Sophomore Brooklyn Bisson said that she was shocked when she heard about Hillend-Jones' arrest because “she's a very much like an I'm-here-to-help-you type teacher.”

The arrested teacher has no criminal record and investigators found no problems in her teaching history.