SHIPPENSBURG, Pa. — Shippensburg Area schools were under a shelter-in-place order Friday afternoon, as Pennsylvania State Police searched for a man believed to be armed and dangerous.
32-year-old William Lewis was believed to be involved in a domestic dispute when police were called.
"We understand the perpetrator was contained initially and then they lost containment, and that made us nervous," said Dr. Al Moyer, Superintendent of the Shippensburg Area School District.
Dr. Moyer says Lewis had a connection to one of the schools, Nancy Grayson Elementary, which caused some concern among school officials.
“It’s the parent of one of our students here that was involved in the domestic dispute," said Dr. Moyer. "That made us extra cautious about protecting Nancy Grayson Elementary.”
School officials slowly released students of Nancy Grayson Elementary back to their families under police escort. Hundreds of parents waited outside of the school to pick up their children, with some parents waiting for over an hour.
State Police confirmed Lewis' arrest around 5:30 Friday afternoon.
Dr. Moyer credited the Shippensburg school staff for working together to get through a stressful lockdown.
“My understanding is that our Intermediate School Principal was handing out popsicles to try and keep kids contained and in a good state of mind," said Dr. Moyer.
State Police released a statement thanking the Shippensburg Area School District for their cooperation during the police search.