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District-wide lockout lifted after suspicious incident at Hope Rural School in Martin County

Teacher reports seeing person holding rifle jump fence at Indiantown school
Martin County Sheriff's Office vehicle outside Hope Rural School, Jan. 18, 2023
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INDIANTOWN, Fla. — A lockout at all Martin County public schools was lifted Wednesday afternoon after a suspicious incident at an Indiantown school.

According to the Martin County Sheriff's Office, the Martin County School District instituted the lockout at all campuses as a precaution.

A Facebook post from the Martin County Sheriff's Office said a teacher at Hope Rural School reported seeing someone jump the fence while holding a rifle. He saw the teacher and fled in a gray Dodge Durango.

The Martin County Sheriff's Office later said it was a 13-year-old boy with a BB gun.

Investigators said the child is the grandson of the groundskeeper at the school, and the BB gun was used for killing rodents.

The boy was retrieving the BB gun for his grandfather, according to the sheriff's office.

The lockout – which meant nobody was allowed to enter or leave the school buildings – was precautionary, but dismissal times were expected to remain the same.