Whitko Responds To Arrest Of School Resource Officer
LARWILL — The Whitko School Corporation has responded to reports that its school resources officer was accused of failing to report a sexual assault.
“As has been reported, a former school resource officer who served Whitko schools was arrested for failure to report,” said the corporation in a press release today, April 30.
“Whitko Community Schools was initially notified of an investigation involving the South Whitley police officer assigned to the schools as a school resource officer. Working in conjunction with the Whitley County prosecutor’s office and the Town of South Whitley, the officer was immediately removed as the school resource officer for Whitko Community Schools.”
Matthew D. Gilbert, 34, has been charged in Whitley County with failure to report a rape or sexual assault, a class B misdemeanor. Gilbert was arrested Friday, April 27.
According to the Indiana State Police the investigation began when a complaint was reported in February that Gilbert had received information from a then 16-year-old female that she had been the victim of a rape.
Police said Gilbert received the report at the beginning of the 2017-2018 school year, and that no initial investigation nor any follow up was conducted.
The case was submitted to the Whitley County Prosecutor’s Office, who then charged Gilbert.
“Whitko Community Schools remains fully committed to student safety,” said the press release from the school corporation. “The investigation was based on activities of the police officer that were outside of his duties as the school resource officer, we completely supported the Town of South Whitley’s decision to remove this officer immediately from our schools. This removal occurred March 21. This was Whitko’s last involvement with the situation.”
“Whitko believes a successful SRO program is a critical component of school safety. We have our previous resource officer working with us until another school resource officer is in place.”