STONEHAM, MASS. (WHDH) - It’s been a week since a convicted sex offender tried to gain access to a Stoneham elementary school and community members gathered Thursday to let school officials know they expected better communication about what happened.
Police say the suspect, James McCarty was carrying at least two knives and tried pulling on the doors of the South Elementary School, information that parents and community members say they should have known about immediately.
Following an FBI investigation, McCarty is now facing upgraded charges, including making a bomb and hijack threat and threatening to commit a crime.
At the crowded meeting, Stoneham Superintendent David Ljungberg said, “It is undeniable that the buck stops with me. I am sorry, I apologize for not having handled this situation differently.”
Many of those who spoke at the meeting say they don’t; understand how they weren’t told immediately about what happened and called for Ljungberg to resign.
One person who spoke said, “You said there was no threat. A pedophile tried to get in the school while armed, how was there no threat?”
The consensus at Thursday’s meeting was that Stoneham police and the school’s principal did what they were supposed to do. The district, now looking into its overall safety protocol.
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