Upstate elementary school briefly placed on lockdown Thursday

PICKENS COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – An elementary school was briefly placed on a “soft lockdown” Thursday afternoon while police responded to a nearby domestic violence call.

According to the Pickens Police Department, at around 1 p.m. officers were called to PIckens Garden Apartments beside PIckens Elementry School in reference to a domestic violence situation.

A suspect in the call, James Michael Holder, reportedly ran away from the area as police arrived, heading towards the school.

A supervisor then called Pickens Elementary School administrators and had the school placed on lockdown until police could secure the area.

According to the department, the decision was made because Holder was fleeing the scene of a complaint and is wanted by state probation officers and the Pickens County Sheriff’s Office.

Once the area was clear, the lockdown was lifted.

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