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Lawless!: Armed Robbery At Pre School
posted (October 17, 2012)
We all know that crime is out of hand - and that criminals have crossed the threshold of all reason.

But today, we reached a new low as masked gunmen barged into a pre-school - A PRE-SCHOOL to steal a cell phone from a teacher.

Crazy beyond belief, right?... But that's what it is tonight...and Monica Bodden found out more:

Monica Bodden Reporting

It is one of the most disturbing events imaginable - a teacher held at gunpoint, in front of her preschool students.

That was what happened here at Little Cadet Preschool on Jane Usher Boulevard.

Just after 9 this morning as class was getting started, a man approached the classroom door and asked for one of the students who was in the classroom by name.

Just seconds after another man barged inside the classroom - with a mask over his head and armed with a gun.

Voice of Teacher
"A little bit after 9, a dark fellow - he came in, and he asked for one of the babies. And immediately I - he was acting very suspicious, and as soon as he asked for the baby, the other guy came in with his face covered. He cranked his gun, held it to my head, and he told me to give them everything. And immediately after, the other guy who came in first, he came. While the other guy had the gun held to my head, he started to take off my chain, ring - he was searching around the desk area. After they took off whatever they needed to take off, they wanted money. We don't collect money here. We have our Atlantic Bank ATM, or the parents go and deposit at the bank. So, I just told them that my bag was over there. They took my bag; they didn't find anything, so they threw the bag on me and told me to take the money from out of the bag. So, I took my wallet out, and luckily, I didn't have any money in there. I opened it - I think it was $5 in there - they took that. He was demanding that he wanted money, but the other guy with gun said that's all she has - and between all this, they were saying, 'hurry, hurry!' and that's when they left."

Keep in mind that the robbers held the gun to the teacher's head in front of her preschool students. Fearing for her life and her students own, the teacher complied with all their directives. After the men were done, they ran off.

Voice of Teacher
"They were all looking on. And the only thing I was thinking about my life and theirs. What if something happens? It was very scary. I'm trying to take off everything, my ring, my watch. They are pulling on my neck. The other one has the gun pushing hard against my head. He moved it down to my throat, and he kept on pushing it. I really don't know what to say about the society. I don't know what it's becoming because this is a pre-school. It's ridiculous."

After the robbers hastily ran off - this frightened teacher was left to comfort her classroom of toddlers while awaiting the police.

Voice of Teacher
"They didn't make a sound when those guys came in. I think that they automatically knew what was happening, and they knew that something was wrong. And as soon as they left, they were asking, 'Teacher, who is that?' Why did they do that?' I was at a loss for words. I was very shocked. I couldn't even comfort them because nothing like this has ever happened to me, and nothing like this has every happened at this school."

Monica Bodden
"What was their reaction after? I understand that they had to be calmed down."

Voice of Teacher
"Yes, they were crying. They were in the beds at the back, covered up in sheets. They were afraid. They were really afraid. Some of them couldn't even eat their snacks. We're planning on getting somebody to be at the gate, from morning until evening when school closes. It's either that or we'll get a security camera, so that if anything happens, we have proof, and we have faces."

Police say they have recovered the cell phone and detained two persons.

Today the mother of one of the detainee's contacted our newsroom to say that her 35 year old son is being wrongfully accused.

She said police came storming into her home, breaking down her verandah and then detaining her son.

The interesting part is that she is the grandmother of one of the children in the school - and her son - the accused - is an uncle.

Monica Bodden asked her about this:

Cynthia Anderson - Mother of Accused Robber
"This morning, I was at the hospital, and I got a phone call saying that police were at my house. So I quickly left what I was doing, and I went home. When I arrived, I found that my verandah - the top and the bottom - were broken down. My son said that they fell from upstairs through to the bottom. It broke into pieces. I need help to fix it because when my daughter comes, how will she get up there? They could have seen how the stairs looked, and realized that it didn't look that sturdy for everyone to bunch up on it. They could have at least looked and see that they needed to go up one at a time. They couldn't badly injured - I don't know if they got hurt."

Monica Bodden
"They came here for what?"

Cynthia Anderson
"I understand that they came here in connection with some robbery, and they took a young man and my son. My son is innocent; he doesn't do those kinds of thing. My son was at home from morning because he into his music. He was playing his music. Right now, his computer is still on, and I am trying to turn it off, but I can't because I don't know much about computers. I called my daughter to turn it off, but my credit ran out, so the computer is still on. He was playing his music because he is into his music. He was at home from morning; he doesn't go walking about. He doesn't stray."

Monica Bodden
"Now they are suspecting that it's him because the robbers at the school called out your grandchild's name."

Cynthia Anderson
"Yes, they called out for him, Cameron. I came home and questioned him, and he told me that it was a black man. I don't want them to charge my son for something he didn't do because he isn't black; he is red-skinned. I asked him if it was Goldburn; he said no, that it was a black man."

Despite those professions of innocence, police are expected to bring charges tomorrow - we'll keep following the story.

Anderson is hoping that police would reimburse her for the damages she claims they caused to her verandah.

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