🎥 Commissioner Musil ‘applauds’ investigation of alleged Hays High threat

Shaun Musil, Hays city commissioner, commended the investigation into an alleged threat at Hays High School on Feb. 12.

By BECKY KISER
Hays Post

Hays City Commissioner Shaun Musil said Thursday night he “applauds” the Hays Police Department and the school district in their handling of a Feb. 12 incident that resulted in a 14-year-old male being taken into police protective custody following an alleged threat against Hays High School.

Musil referred to social media comments he had read online that “badmouthed” both entities.

“I actually want to do the opposite and applaud the Hays PD and USD 489,” Musil commented at the end of the city commission meeting. “They may not have let everybody know exactly what was going on right away but the situation was taken care of right away.”

Musil said he talked to some of the officials involved in the incident. “They said there were things they learned and should have done better and they will do better next time.”

“Yes, people didn’t know the day it happened or two days after it happened, but they really did a good job taking care of the situation. It just amazes me people go off their rocker and are p***d off because they don’t know all the details.

“My kid actually sits directly behind the kid that was arrested,” Musil added. “Nothing happened, thank God. This kind of hits home, but I also feel really comfortable we in our community did what was right.”

On Feb. 14, two days after the Hays High incident, 17 people were shot and killed at a high school in Parkland, Florida, by a 19-year-old former student.

“It’s a partnership that the Hays Police Department, in this case, works with the school district as well as the Ellis County Attorney, and we (the city) do not take the lead,” Commissioner Henry Schwaller pointed out. “We let them work out certain aspects of it. We rely on them to do certain things and we wait for the others to take the lead on informing the public. It’s not that there’s anything to hide, but as Commissioner Musil pointed out, with a minor, you’re not going to release that person’s name. The situation was well under control,” Schwaller agreed, “because we have very qualified people.”

He added that “there’s more that can be done about this going forward and we will talk about that.”

The sole public information about the incident was a news release emailed Feb. 17 from the office of Ellis County Attorney Tom Drees. In the release, Drees wrote “there is no indication that any other person(s) are involved in the alleged threat. There is no reason to believe that any further danger exists regarding this incident. The investigation into this incident continues by the Hays Police Department.”

According to Drees, as of Feb. 17 a “Child In Need of Care action has been filed, and the child remains in state custody.”