Parent arrested after allegedly threatening school administrator

A parent faces a felony intimidation charge for allegedly threatening to kill an Evergreen School District administrator after they denied her contact with her child, whom she lacked custody of.

Tifani Marie Curtin, 41, is being held on a $100,000 bond in the county jail following her arrest. She is expected to be arraigned in Flathead County District Court on May 12.

Curtin allegedly phoned the Evergreen Junior High School on April 28 and told employees there that she was bringing her child $5, according to court documents. An administrator with the school told her that she was barred from the premises and restricted from seeing the child. Curtin is described as a non-custodial parent in court documents.

“I’m on my way to the school and I’m going to [expletive] kill you,” she allegedly replied.

School officials turned the threat over to deputies with the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office and temporarily put the campus on alert, beginning at about 1:05 p.m. That means district staff kept students inside and limited movement between classrooms, said Superintendent Laurie Barron. Classroom instruction continued, she said.

The building’s exterior doors remain locked throughout the day.

In an email sent to parents that day, Barron wrote that officials lifted the alert about 3 p.m., but kept a heightened law enforcement presence on campus.

“We understand situations such as this one are concerning to staff, students, parents, guardians and the community,” Barron wrote. “We will follow up with students and staff as appropriate about this situation to ensure any of their questions or concerns are answered.”

Deputies, meanwhile, tracked Curtin down in a local hospital. She was arrested after being discharged, court documents said.

Intimidation carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in the Montana State Prison and a $10,000 fine.

News Editor Derrick Perkins can be reached at 758-4430 or dperkins@dailyinterlake.com.