School locked down after report of mountain lion
Staff writer
Peabody-Burns elementary school was locked down about an hour Aug. 31 after Peabody resident Korie Hatton reported seeing a mountain lion near the school.
“Please put your outside pets in and watch kids being outside,” Hatton posted on social media. “We just saw a mountain lion in our alley at our house at 310 E. 3rd St. I called the police department and the school, since they are across the street to let them know. The school was going to lock down any kids from going outside.”
According to monitored police transmissions, Peabody Chief Bruce Burke and sheriff’s deputy Travis Wilson patrolled the area but found nothing.
School superintendent Antoinette Root said the school restricted children from going outside the building until 1 p.m., when the school was given an all-clear.
Kansas had three confirmed mountain lion sightings last year, including one in Wichita. The state has had 36 verified sightings since 2007.