A combined force of local and state police alongside FBI agents converged on two Plainfield locations Tuesday night.
It's all part of an investigation into threats made online against Plainfield High School and the city's shopping mall before, during and after Christmas break.
A least one minor, a boy who neighbors say is in high school, was taken into a police truck for questioning. Agents removed bags of evidence from a home on Second Street as stunned neighbors watched in disbelief.
"I think they're looking for the wrong guy. I don't think they're going to find what they're looking for over there," said a neighbor, Joe.
Meanwhile on Avon Street, SWAT officers guarded the rear of the home as investigators served search warrants at the residence.
"It's definitely pretty scary to learn that since Dec. 17 I've been living right next to it, if that's the case," said neighbor Brad Muston.
Police removed at least one adult female and a juvenile from the Avon Street house. The neighbors say a number of teens live inside.
"Just a couple girls, couple guys. They're always kind of out on the driveway hanging out, talking, smoking, just being teens," said neighbor Nathan Finlay.
A line of traffic moved slowly by the house, still decorated for Christmas. Neighbors, meanwhile, were anxious for answers.
"What are they saying, Tracy?" a driver called out to onlookers on the sidewalk.
Police seized at least one computer, taking it to a mobile command post. They had a laptop there, too.
At a house across the street, at least one person was taken into custody. Neighbors say they saw crossbows and shotguns confiscated at that second house. It is still unclear if they're connected.
"I've kept my kids home from school for the last couple of days or so," said next door neighbor Amanda Law.
She didn't know the threats may have been coming from her neighborhood, but she did have a hunch.
"Yeah, yeah. I had a feeling it was around here," she said. "Boy's kind of weird, you know, been in trouble."
The bulk of the threats targeted Plainfield High School and one specific student there. But those threats then mushroomed. The suspect threatened the girl's friends, other students at the school, police officers who tried to help and at one point threatened a Plainfield mall. The suspect created a Facebook page under the name "Brian Kil," detailing his violent and deadly plan. saying. "I spent the entire night making more explosives. I'll be prepared."
That was more than two weeks ago.
Students returned to class Monday even though no arrests had yet been made in the case.
Rachel Dawson, a senior at Plainfield High School, is anxious for answers and to get back into class and graduate. Her mother, Tracy, has kept her out of school.
"I know they say the threats are not credible, but you just don't know, so better to be cautious," she said.
Despite the raids, police say security measures enacted Monday at Plainfield High School, including the prohibition of backpacks and searching students for weapons as they enter buildings, will continue for the foreseeable future.
"We want to make sure our students are still safe at school and, because of these preliminary actions, we don't have full closure yet, so we don't know where this investigation is going to lead," said Plainfield Police Capt. Jill Lees.
The first online threats of violence in mid-December led to the cancellation of classes at both Plainfield and Danville high schools and later to the evacuation of Perry Crossing Mall in Plainfield. Now, even after weeks of investigation and two police raids, some parents aren't convinced the threat is over.
"I'm taking them out of school. That's all there is to it, just because they're not going to be there to have something actually happen. They say it's not a credible threat, that's what they say when they call us at home, but who knows?" said one parent.
Police in Plainfield issued the following statement about the operation Tuesday night:
Tonight’s actions (1/5/16) are part of an ongoing investigation by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies from Plainfield Police Department, Brownsburg Police Department, Indiana State Police, Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Indiana, and the Hendricks County Prosecutors' Office. Because the investigation is ongoing, we have no further comment at this time.
