Liberty Police Department has arrested five individuals in relation to the altercation that led to the stabbing yesterday, Dec.12, just off the Liberty Middle/High School campus at the end of the school day.

Below is LPD’s statement, in part, released about 9:30 p.m. yesterday:

“On Thursday 12/12/24 at approximately 3:00 pm the Village of Liberty Police Department responded to a report of a fight in progress near the Liberty High School on Buckley Street in the Village of Liberty. School Resource Officers (SROs) at Liberty Middle and High Schools, in collaboration with Liberty School staff, located a 16-year-old stabbing victim who had entered school grounds seeking help after being attacked on Buckley Street. Responding officers immediately identified two suspects fleeing from the scene and after a short foot pursuit arrested two 15 year old male juveniles. School Resource Officers provided immediate first aid to the victim including applying a tourniquet to stop severe bleeding from multiple stab wounds. Care of the 16 year old juvenile was transferred to Mobile Medic EMS and the juvenile was transported via helicopter to Westchester Medical Center. At the time of the writing of this release the juvenile was in stable but critical condition.

“Within hours the investigation had resulted in the Village of Liberty Police Department locating and arresting two additional 17 year old female juveniles and Ricco Molina, 18 of Liberty.  All five individuals were charged with Assault in the 1st degree and Gang Assault in the 1st degree, felonies. Ricco Molina was arraigned in the Town of Liberty Court and remanded to Sullivan County Jail in lieu of $10,000 cash, $20,000 secured bond or $40,000 partially secured bond. All 4 of the juvenile suspects were arraigned in front of the Honorable Troy Johnstone sitting as the accessible after hour’s magistrate for the Youth Part of Sullivan County Superior Court.  Both of the 17 year old female juveniles as well as one of the 15 year old male juveniles were released on their own recognizance to appear at the Youth Part of Superior Court on a later date. The second 15 year old male juvenile was remanded to the custody of the Office of Children and Family Services at a secure detention facility.

“The Village of Liberty Police Department was assisted in the investigation by the Sullivan County District Attorney’s Office, the Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office and the New York State Police. …

“The investigation into this incident is ongoing and anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact the Village of Liberty Police Department Detective Division. Specifically if anyone has cell phone video of the incident please call 845-292-4422.”

In addition, Liberty Central School District will be taking action, according to its Code of Conduct, against all Liberty students involved in this incident.

“I want to thank our SROs for their swift actions on treating the victim, as well as LPD for their quick response to this incident,” Superintendent Dr. Patrick Sullivan said.

The district has additional law enforcement on the Middle/High School campus today, as a precaution and to enhance the safety of students and staff. Counselors are available to all students or staff members who wish to talk about this incident.

Those who have questions may email questions@libertyk12.org.

Dear Liberty,

As you may be aware, an incident took place at the end of the school day off campus earlier today, Dec. 12, that resulted in the stabbing of a student who was not from Liberty. I do not have any information regarding the medical status of that student at this time, but I — and the entire Liberty community — wish them a speedy and full recovery.

Police are still investigating the incident, which did involve students from Liberty. Any police action taken will be communicated by Liberty Police Department when available.

The district is also investigating to see what actions will be taken against our students involved in the altercation, according to our code of conduct.

We take the safety of our students and staff very seriously.

All of our school buildings are equipped with cameras, accessible by LPD, and we have a school resource officer stationed at each building during school hours, as well as after hours events hosted on our campuses. All of our buildings require keycard access, and guest access is achieved through a single point of entry. We also hold regular drills to practice our safety procedures. More details can be found in our districtwide safety plan.

We investigate all reports of potential threats to our school community. We encourage everyone to be proactive in safety with the adage “see something, say something” and report immediate concerns to a trusted adult, administration or law enforcement. Non immediate concerns can also be reported via our Anonymous Alerts reporting system.

Students are also encouraged to lean on their school counseling department if they are in crisis, have concerns over their safety or just need to talk.

Our counselors will be available for those who wish to speak to them following this incident.

Out of an abundance of caution and to help our faculty and students feel safer, there will be an increased police presence on the middle school/high school campus tomorrow.

If you have questions, please email questions@libertyk12.org.

Sincerely,

Dr. Patrick Sullivan
Superintendent

At the end of the school day today, Dec. 12, there was a physical altercation involving a stabbing just off of the middle/high school campus grounds. The altercation was between Liberty students and others who were not students at Liberty schools.

The stabbing victim was not a student of Liberty. The victim ran to campus seeking medical attention. All traffic was shut down on the campus, and a medivac helicopter landed at the football field. All late bus and student pickup was moved to the parking lot on Winthrop Avenue.

The district and police are investigating the incident. More information will be released as it is available.

There is no danger or threat to the school or Liberty community.