A 33-year-old Salem woman has been arrested for a Class 3 felony charge of Intimidation after leaving a threatening voicemail for a Salem Elementary District administrator.
Marisa Starnes of Lackey Street reportedly made statements threatening to ‘drag’ children off a specific bus that is used by her child and do substantial harm to them as well as to that specific bus driver.
Salem Police Chief Kyle Ambuehl said it was expressly implied this would happen if the school administration did not handle the caller’s complaint to their satisfaction. The voicemail was found to have been left to a specific administrator on Thursday, February 8th, 2024, and was found Monday morning when they were reviewing messages. During the arrest, Starnes told police she meant what she said.
Ambuehl says at the direction of the Marion County State’s Attorney’s Office, Starnes was released with a notice to appear in court under the Pre-Trail Fairness Act.
The Salem Police Department and Salem Elementary District #111 want to reiterate to the community that they take the safety of all students and employees very seriously, and such actions will not be tolerated.
Salem Elementary District #111 will be contacting guardians of students who ride the bus involved in this incident to advise them.
