Port Washington High School shooting threat, custodian charged

PORT WASHINGTON, Wis. - A Port Washington High School custodian was arrested and has been charged with a felony after he allegedly threatened to shoot up the school.

According to the criminal complaint, on Tuesday, April 16, a Port Washington police officer was alerted that a staff member who was currently working at Port Washington High School had made statements that he would shoot everybody at the school if he had a firearm.

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Scott Helm

The officer spoke to a witness who stated that the defendant, 62-year-old Scott Lester Helm, who is a custodian at the school, had recently returned to work following medical leave.

The witness said Helm had been using inappropriate language towards other staff members. Helm also called the witness multiple times to inquire about his eligibility for retirement.

The witness said that during one of the conversations about retirement, Helm stated that if he had a gun, he would come to school and shoot "all of you guys."

The complaint states the witness alerted school administrators who then contacted the Port Washington police officer, who reported that it was a half-day of school and the students had already been released. The officer and administrators located Helm in one of the science rooms. Helm appeared agitated and said to a school administrator, "What do you f****** want to talk about?"

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Helm asked to use the elevator to go to the first floor. As the police officer rode on the elevator with Helm, he reported that the defendant gave him a "dead stare" and then looked down at the officer's firearm and asked something to the effect of "did [you] ever use that f****** gun?" The officer asked what Helm meant by that statement, but Helm refused to answer. Helm then indicated to the officer that he was "on a mission."

Based on Helm’s statements and behavior, the officer requested additional officers respond to the school. Helm was taken into custody and no firearms were located on his person. His vehicle in the school parking lot was searched, and no firearms were found.

Scott Helm faces one felony count of making a terrorist threat. He is being held on a $1,000 bond and has a status hearing scheduled for May 15, 2024.

FOX6 reached out to the Port Washington-Saukville School District about his current employment status with the district, and has not yet heard back.