Nov 18, 2016 2 min read

The father of a John F. Kennedy Catholic School student was charged Thursday for allegedly making threats and bringing a knife and gun onto school property. A judge Friday raised his bond to $500,000.

Andrew Kirby, 38, of 780 Summerlea Ave., Washington, allegedly came to his daughter’s basketball practice Wednesday evening in the school’s gym at 111 W. Spruce St. and had a verbal altercation about custody arrangements with his estranged wife, Chalise Kestner.

Kirby allegedly took out a folding knife, opened it and told Kestner she was not leaving with her phone. Kestner then went to the lobby and yelled, “Someone call the … police. He is going to kill me.”

Another parent called 911. Kirby allegedly attempted to leave, but Kestner grabbed his sweatshirt and told another parent he had a knife.

Outside, Kirby broke free from Kestner’s grip and went to his vehicle, police said. A parent allegedly heard Kirby say he was allowed to have a knife.

Washington patrol units arrived, and police said they found a 9mm handgun in Kirby’s rear waistband.

He was arraigned before District Judge Robert Redlinger, charged with simple assault, terroristic threats and two counts of possession of weapons on school property. Redlinger set bond at $20,000, but it was raised to $500,000 Friday by Washington County Court Judge Gary Gilman at the request of Assistant District Attorney Jason Walsh.

In a motion to increase bond, Walsh stated $20,000 is an inadequate amount to ensure the safety of the alleged victim and community.

He stated children were in the gym during the confrontation, Kirby was served with a temporary protection-from-abuse order after the incident and Kirby owns several other guns. According to the motion, a detective investigating the incident said Kirby was involved in another incident of domestic violence with Kestner and he believes Kirby’s attacks on Kestner are escalating.

JFK principal Kenneth Fusina praised adults who were present for their handling of the incident.

“When it seemed to escalate, 911 was called and Washington police took care of it after that,” he said.

School was closed Wednesday because of Officer Scott Bashioum’s funeral, but Fusina sent out a mass email to staff and parents, alerting them about the situation in the gym.

“We thank the Washington police for what they did for us,” he said. “We are safe, and we plan to keep ourselves safe.”