Substitute Teacher Arrested for Triggering False Shooter Alerts At Five Shreveport Schools

A substitute teacher in Caddo Parish is in some serious hot water today. She was arrested for allegedly triggering false active shooter alerts at five schools in the Shreveport area.

Sheriff Henry Whitehorn Sr. has released details about this investigation indicating deputies were alerted on August 19 by Caddo School Board officials about possible threats after emergency alerts were received from several schools.

School Security Director Don Gibbs, a formed deputy told agents that substitute teacher 58-year-old Lytonja Barfield is suspected of using the school district's emergency management system to report active-shooter alerts at five schools.

Security measures were put in place to make sure all students and staff were safe while these threats were investigated. Detectives quickly determined these threats were not real and Barfield was identified as the person who reported each incident.

Detective Jackson of the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office questioned Barfield about the threats and she was ultimately arrested and booked into the Caddo Correctional Center on five counts of menacing.

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Whitehorn says "the Caddo Parish Sheriff's Office takes all threats involving schools seriously. False reports of active threats can cause significant disruptions, prompt emergency responses, and create fear among students, parents, school employees, and the broader community."

The investigation is continuing.