The man whose arrest included a canine search and a school lockdown on Tuesday will not face additional charges, and St Joseph police are now doubtful the man was armed.

Matthew Carpenter is back in custody and is scheduled for a trial setting on drug charges on Friday.

 

St Joseph Police Captain Jeff Wilson says bond investigators at the Brittany Village Apartments called for police assistance in arresting Carpenter after he failed to appear in court. Wilson says Carpenter fled into a wooded area nearby, and they believed he was carrying a firearm within eyeshot of Coleman Elementary School.

“As a safety matter, whenever we have an active police incident, especially one where a subject may be armed or might resist in any manner, just a precautionary measure we contact the school’s in the area and ask them to go into lockdown,” Wilson said.

The school was locked down for about 20 minutes at the end of the school day.  Police arrested Carpenter around 4 p.m. just south of the school.

Police blocked off a perimeter, and brought in a canine officer. Wilson says they were able to convince Carpenter to surrender. After searching the area police have not found a weapon.

“We have not been able to confirm that he had a firearm, we have searched,” Wilson said.