Man tries to kidnap 11-year-old girl at school; didn’t expect to meet an armed teacher Nine Line News Team May 28, 2021 Nine Line News 361 It was a normal sunny spring afternoon at Lincoln Elementary School in Ogden, Utah. Students were playing outside in the playground during recess. Normal, until drugged out 41-year-old Ira Cox-Berry attempted to kidnap an 11-year-old girl. Police say Cox-Berry attempted to yank the girl away from the playground. A teacher, who had a concealed carry permit — and was indeed armed — shouted at the man to leave. The girl managed to break free, and the teacher ushered her and 19 other students into a classroom for safety. But Cox-Berry still wasn’t deterred. The creep approached the school and began punching the window in an attempt to force his way inside. However, he never expected to confront a gun. The teacher pulled out his firearm and held Cox-Berry off while calling 911. Police quickly arrived and after a brief struggle, cuffed and arrested Cox-Berry. According to police, “the suspect was high, high on some type of narcotic.” Lt. Brian Eynon of the Ogden City Police Department said “This employee is protected under the Second Amendment. He followed all policy and procedure at the school, and in this particular case, did everything that he should have done to protect the innocent lives of the children at the school,” says the Lieutenant. “And in this case, it is likely that a life was saved or injury to a life was prevented due to the actions of this heroic employee.” Would-be kidnapper being arrested. Investigators says there is no link between Cox-Berry and the young girl. “This teacher, in particular, was very prepared emotionally to confront a suspect he didn’t know, that was most likely on drugs, could be dangerous, could have been armed, and he took it upon himself to protect and be a hero, frankly, for the children who are on scene there when this went down,” says Lt. Eynon. Ogden School District’s Jer Bates said, “A teacher intervened when there was a situation that threatened students’ safety. This teacher, this school employee, is a hero. We don’t disagree with that at all. iI was a very scary situation, something we take very seriously, but it came out with a good ending, meaning no students were physically harmed, no adults were physically harmed, that this was an incident where our emergency response protocols were acted out.” The hero teacher has asked not to be identified over fears for his future career prospects. What does that tell you about society today?
