DUBOIS – A DuBois man accused of threatening students at the DuBois Area Middle School is now facing additional charges.
A school police officer filed new charges of M1 terroristic threats, M1 defiant trespass, M2 simple assault, M3 disorderly conduct and a summary count of criminal mischief against Joel Rojas, 34, with District Judge Patrick Ford last week.
He was charged previously with three M1 counts of terroristic threats, two M1 counts of defiant trespass and two M3 counts of disorderly conduct as a result of his actions on March 22.
The new charges are due to another incident March 24 when he returned to the school. His preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 9.
According to the affidavit of probable cause, Rojas and his wife arrived at the DuBois Middle School at 10:53 a.m. They were able to enter the school after a parent and student left the building and his wife grabbed the open door.
The school officer saw this happen and approached Rojas before he got his wheelchair into the school. The officer reminded Rojas that he was not allowed to be on school property, but the officer told his wife she was free to enter.
Both Rojas and his wife got loud saying they received no letter about trespassing and they couldn’t be kept from entering. Rojas was told that he had been personally told by the officer and the principal previously that he could not return.
He became louder, stating “go ahead, lay hands on me. You said you can lay hands on me,” repeatedly while he pounded on his chest with his fists, the report states.
His wife also allegedly yelled profanities, stated she and her husband were coming inside the school and there was nothing the school officer could do about it. She said the officer had no authority and called the officer derogatory names, police said.
At the same time, Rojas was continuing to be loud. The officer secured the door to block Rojas from entering but invited his wife to enter. Rojas was rocking back and forth in his wheelchair, lurching forward in an agitated manner and threatening the officer that he would take her out, according to the report.
When the principal, Darren Hack, arrived, Rojas allegedly started to yell at him, while pounding on the glass doors. He threatened Hack and his family. At one point, Rojas allegedly said he was going to get a gun and that he could take the principal and his family “out,” according to police.
Other witnesses to the scene also heard the threats and noted that the situation seemed to be escalating. The school was put into a modified lockdown with visitors escorted to other exits and students being kept from the area of the disturbance.
As the superintendent, Dr. Luke Lansberry and the assistant superintendent, Wendy Benton, approached from the parking lot, Rojas left. Lansberry met with Hack and Rojas’ wife. He presented her with a copy of the “no trespassing” letter that had been sent via certified mail. She tore it up.
Lansberry was then called to the district office because Rojas was there and inside the building. His wife was escorted with the other personnel to the other building.
According to the affidavit of probable cause in the first case, Rojas arrived at the school in his motorized wheelchair and demanded to speak to someone in charge. He said he wouldn’t leave until things were taken care of. The school’s principal, Hack, invited him into his office.
Rojas told Hack and a guidance counselor that his daughter was mistreated and something better be done or he would “take care of it.” He explained two students called his daughter a “disgusting whore” and one of the students pulled her headphones off her head.
Rojas allegedly said he would “get school age kids from New Jersey to come to DuBois and take care of them.” Hack advised him he would follow-up with the students, but Rojas demanded he do something right now or he would take care of it. Rojas continued to threaten the students as he got louder and more volatile.
Hack told police he tried to discuss matters and defuse the situation. He even pulled Rojas’ daughter out of class to join the meeting at Rojas’ demand. As it escalated, Hack asked and then told Rojas to leave. Rojas refused and said “you hide behind your shirt and tie,” according to the report.
A school police officer then entered the office and asked Rojas to leave. He allegedly replied “Go ahead. Put hands on me. Make me.” Rojas was advised he was trespassing. Rojas continued to refuse to leave and demanded Hack do something about the students.
Rojas stated that he was “banned from Wasson School, so go ahead and try to get me to leave here too.” He continued to be obnoxious and used swear words in a loud voice that could be heard by the secretarial staff, parents and students in the main office, the witnesses reported.
Assistant Principal Michael Maholtz arrived and was insulted by Rojas. Maholtz told him he didn’t know what was wrong, but the meeting was over. He advised Rojas that he was not allowed to speak to him or anyone else at the school the way he did and told him to leave. Rojas allegedly said he would “lay him out or someone from his gang would.”
Another school police officer arrived and told Rojas that he had warned him before about his conduct on school property. He was ordered to leave by both officers. Instead Rojas kept saying “Make me. Put hands on me. Go ahead,” they said.
Eventually Rojas was escorted out. As he was leaving the main office area, he shouted some obscenities. Students were directed to areas of safety until Rojas left the premises.
Rojas allegedly continued to yell and threatened one of the officers by saying “a gang will be taking care of you.”
As he came to the front entrance, there were at least seven students from the Life Skills/Autism/emotional support classes preparing to leave. Police said Rojas operated his wheelchair through the middle of the group, sending them in disarray as he continued to swear and yell. The students were taken from the area and dismissal was delayed for five minutes until Rojas left the area.
Rojas was escorted out but he continued to yell obscenities. At one point, he held a phone in the air and stated he “recorded the whole thing and you can’t do anything about it,” according to the complaint.
When an officer spoke with the guidance counselor, she said earlier she was on the phone with Rojas’ wife who was reporting the problem with her daughter. She could hear Rojas in the background yelling. She (his wife) told him to shut up as she was talking.
