Student Detained After Suspicious Notes Found

A Rogers State University student in Claremore is in the Rogers County jail after police investigators found a suspicious journal in his apartment.

Tuesday, February 26th 2008, 12:21 pm

By: News On 6


Strange behavior by a Rogers State University student results in three restraining orders and an arrest. Tywone Parks is expected to be charged with devising a plan to injure or kill someone, but police admit they're not sure if he really meant to carry out the plan. News On 6 anchor Scott Thompson reports Parks was taken into custody last week and ordered to undergo a mental evaluation. Some students at the school say they feel left in the dark about the entire situation.

Inside apartment D4 investigators found, what they call, a disturbing journal. The notes were written by Tywone Parks, a 24-year-old Rogers State University student. He's now in jail, but the journey that got him there has students frustrated and police scratching their heads.

It started last Monday when several female students say Parks began making bizarre comments and claims he left the severed head of a dog on the doorsteps of one of the girls. Restraining orders filed by the women show Parks telling them his "ex-girlfriends were dead and he knew where to hide bodies," also saying "women need to be taught a lesson," and telling one girl to "live my day like it was my last." On Tuesday, the students told school officials.

"They immediately notified the school counselor and their professors who, in turn, contacted the administration and we were able to contact the police," said Rogers State Spokesman, Brent Otolani.

Parks was in custody a short time later, arrested at his off-campus apartment. Police admit they weren't sure what to make of his journal.

"This is a compilation of issues or writings, actions that this person expressed that he thought about carrying out," said Stan Brown with the Claremore Police Department.

Brown could not go into detail about the journal but said it did not involve Rogers State or talk about hurting a student on-campus. Also in the apartment, police found several guns, both rifles and handguns. But, Brown says the weapons were gifts from Parks' father and the journal doesn't mention shooting anyone or even firing the guns.

On campus, students say they knew very little of what was happening. The day after Parks was arrested the school sent students a memo, saying only precautionary steps were taken the day before. Many students are upset the school did not use its emergency communication system to let those on-campus know what was going on. A school spokesman says that system is only for immediate, on-campus emergencies. They added Parks was never on campus the day he was arrested.

"But, to use the system for an event that is occurring off-campus and nobody is at risk, I think, would have been an abuse of the use of that system," said Otolani.

Claremore Police says the school handled the situation in the right way. The university spokesman could not say whether Parks is still a student, but he did say there's a good chance a student in that situation would be expelled.

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