Alleged stalker arrested near Lipsey
Published 8:34 pm Wednesday, December 5, 2018
- Darrel Gilmore
Brookhaven police arrested a stalking suspect Monday after he allegedly went to two Brookhaven schools looking for his estranged wife, causing Lipsey Middle School to pull its afternoon students off buses and place the building on lockdown.
Brookhaven police arrested 39-year-old Darrel Gilmore, of 1279 Crete Lane Northwest, near Lipsey Middle School around 3:45 p.m. Monday after an hourlong investigation that took officers to Brookhaven Elementary School and finally to Lipsey, where Gilmore was arrested without incident and charged with one count of stalking. Brookhaven Police Chief Kenneth Collins said in a statement Lipsey administrators placed the school on lockdown due to the increased police presence near the school.
“With any incident occurring near the Brookhaven Public Schools, the Brookhaven Police Department supports the school’s decision to go into lockdown,” he said. “The safety of students, and school staff is the priority of the Brookhaven Police Department when an incident occurs near any school campus.”
Collins’ statement says officers were called to the area around BES around 3:30 p.m. Monday on a report of a domestic disturbance involving a male subject in the school parking lot looking for his estranged wife. The suspect later moved on to Lipsey, where his wife works in the afternoons, after he was unable to find her at BES, the statement said.
The Brookhaven School District released on its website and Facebook page a statement that read in part: “the domestic dispute was not related to Lipsey School and did not occur on the school campus.”
Collins said police stopped and arrested Gilmore in the street in front of the school after he had cruised through the parking lot and exited the bus pick-up lanes.
When reached by The Daily Leader Monday afternoon, Lipsey Principal Rita Robinson referred all questions to the district office. Superintendent Ray Carlock did not return messages seeking comment.
Recordings of police radio traffic Monday afternoon describe officers’ search of the area, including both Lipsey and BES, and reveal school officials notified police about the alleged stalker.
Collins said the Mississippi Department of Corrections has a hold on Gilmore following his arrest Monday and his parole may be revoked. A judge had previously ordered Gilmore to stay away from school property and not to come within 100 feet of his wife, the chief said.
“We don’t play when it comes to the school,” Collins said. “If you go up to the school cussin’ and showing out, we’re not going to put up with that anymore.”
Gilmore was the subject of Brookhaven police scrutiny in September when Collins alleged he’d threatened officers on social media. The department briefly searched for Gilmore and threatened felony charges, but dropped the investigation after he came to police headquarters for a chat with the chief.
Gilmore was arrested by the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office in August 2016 for possession of a weapon by a convicted felon. Deputies had previously arrested him in April 2015 for probation violation. The 2015 arrest was related to his 2008 conviction after pleading guilty
Gilmore pleaded guilty to robbery in 2008 and was sentenced to a suspended sentence with post-release supervision.