Tension in Gurdon Erupts

Community members say the fight was the result of racial tension boiling over. The violence got so bad at Gurdon High School that Clark County Sheriffs deputies and state police stepped-in to help.

Parents and students say the tension between the students was building for months.

Then Tuesday an unspecified catalyst set-off a huge fight on campus.

Behind the doors here at Gurdon High School some students say there's a building racial divide.

"We all use to be best friends I don't know something went south," says Gurdon High School student Joe Burnley.

"We get along good until this week and I just don't know what happened," says Gurdon High School Student Princeton McPeak.

Tuesday snap shots taken by the Gurdon Times of show police trying to get order in the community after tension swelled and dozens of students starting fighting at the high school.

"Everybody got in the hall way and a big ole riot broke out so everybody started fighting," says McPeak.

After faculty broke-up the fight on campus it started back again at an area park less than a mile away.
Sheriff's deputies say once they stop the fights at Gurdon Park, small clusters of students moved the fight to different locations around town. Once everything was over, deputies arrested 18 people including two parents.

Clark County Sheriff David Turner explains the day after the fight deputies working with state police went to the school to enforce new security measures.

"When the student come back before they went in the school all the kids were walked through metal detectors, where we made sure there wasn't any weapons at the school," says Sheriff Turner.

"We are fixing to charge about 30 students most of them will probably be charged with disorderly conduct. We arrested on female adult parent and one male parent and the male was charged with disorderly conduct and the female was charged with disorderly conduct, resisting arrest and assaulting as police officer," says Sheriff Turner.

Since the fight Sheriff Turner says only about 20 percent of the students have come back. Other students say rumors about more possible violence is keeping them away.

"They said they were scared they said guns were coming," says McPeak.

"We will continue to have officers at there, we will maintain control in the school so the kids can get an education," explains Sheriff Turner.

The sheriff's department has had deputies at the campus everyday since the fight broke out. Most of the kids Involved have been suspended.

Friday deputies had to respond when someone replaced the school's flag with a confederate one. Clark County Sheriffs Department says it's requested state police's help Monday when the suspended students come back.