Police: Mississippi man arrested at Johnston High had firearm in vehicle

Link to school threat letters unclear; man ordered to undergo competency, mental health evaluation

Daniel Kittredge
Posted 10/31/14

A Mississippi man who attempted to gain entry to Johnston High School on Thursday – and who was subsequently found to have a firearm in his vehicle – is being held pending a court-ordered …

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Police: Mississippi man arrested at Johnston High had firearm in vehicle

Link to school threat letters unclear; man ordered to undergo competency, mental health evaluation

Posted

A Mississippi man who attempted to gain entry to Johnston High School on Thursday – and who was subsequently found to have a firearm in his vehicle – is being held pending a court-ordered competency and mental health evaluation.

Police, meanwhile, say it is unclear whether the man is connected to the threatening letters police have received against schools in Johnston, Cranston and Warwick in recent weeks, but they continue to investigate with the help of state and federal authorities.

Jonathan Frank Mikovich, 38, of Diberville, Miss., is charged with possession of a firearm without a license, possession of a firearm on school grounds and disorderly conduct.

Mikovich was arraigned in Third District Court on Friday morning, according to the office of Attorney General Peter Kilmartin. He was held on $250,000 bail with surety, and ordered to undergo the evaluation ahead of a Nov. 13 competency review hearing.

Officials say Mikovich arrived at the school around noon, and knocked on the back door in an attempt to gain entry. A twcher’s assistant refused to let him in and notified the principal and school resource officer, and Mikovich was subsequently arrested. Police then discovered the weapon located inside his vehicle.

A call from Johnston Superintendent Dr. Bernard DiLullo went out to the district’s parents to notify them of the situation.

Johnston Deputy Police Chief Daniel Parrillo said Mikovich has no prior criminal record, and Johnston detectives have made contact with his family and authorities in Mississippi.

“The investigation as to his whereabouts prior to the arrest or the reason for his presence at the high school is still under investigation,” Parrillo said.

The deputy chief said the task force investigating the threatening letters – which were believed to be from the same author – consists of Johnston, Cranston and Warwick police, Rhode Island State Police, the Postal Inspectors Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the attorney general’s office.

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  • allent

    now THAT'S a mouth breather!

    Saturday, November 1, 2014 Report this