McNary High School (Rachel Alexander/Salem Reporter)
Five McNary High School students are facing criminal charges related to a fight that broke out after school last week.
The fight happened immediately after school on Sept. 19 near the school’s gym. Two girls, ages 15 and 16, began fighting.
“It was a planned fight. They met there to do that,” said Lt. Bob Trump, Keizer police spokesman. “It was a huge crowd of hundreds of students watching it happen.”
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Police arrested the two girls involved Tuesday. They face charges of disorderly conduct and were released to their parents.
A third girl was charged Tuesday with interfering with police during the response to the fight, Trump said.
Those arrests follow two others made last week.
School staff broke up the fight. A school resource officer with Keizer Police arrived and tried to detain two male students he believed were involved in the fight, police said in a news release.
Those students began struggling with the officer, who called for backup. They were arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and interfering with a peace officer and taken to Marion County Juevenile Detension. No one was injured during the arrest, police said.
Principal Erik Jespersen admonished students in a recorded phone call home.
“These events were seen and recorded by many of our students. Frankly, I expect and I know you expect, more out of our Celtics,” Jespersen said. “We’ll be working closely with our students to reinforce our commitment to creating a world-class school where all students feel safe, supported and welcome. We encourage you to speak with your children about how they play a part in our school culture.”
Reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.
