Police investigate Minden stabbing, hold and secure at Archie Stouffer over

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A man is recovering in hospital after an overnight stabbing in Minden Feb. 9.

Haliburton Highlands OPP says it responded to a disturbance at an apartment building on Parkside Street at approximately 4:30 a.m. Sources state paramedics treated a man who had been stabbed, before transferring him to Haliburton hospital, though police have not confirmed those details.

Cst. Michael Melnychuk said this is being treated as an isolated incident. Police investigation is ongoing.

“There is no concern for public safety. Residents can expect an increased police presence while this investigation continues,” Melnychuk said.

Business and residences in the area are being asked to check dashcam and security camera footage from early Friday morning for any suspicious activity.

Melnychuk indicated this incident had nothing to do with a police raid that occurred on Floralan Park Drive in Minden Feb. 7. Residents in the area observed a heavy police presence in the early evening, including the OPP’s Tactics and Rescue Unit, while there were reports of flash bangs being used. Haliburton Highlands OPP has yet to confirm details of this incident.

Archie Stouffer Elementary School was in a hold and secure for much of the morning Feb. 9. Carolynne Bull, communications manager for Trillium Lakelands District School Board, sent an email to media at 10:36 a.m. confirming the school had been placed in a hold and secure as a precaution due to the stabbing.

In a hold and secure exterior doors are locked, while students are not permitted to go outside and cannot be signed out, or picked up, by parents or guardians. Regular classroom routines and lessons continued through the hold and secure, which was lifted shortly after noon.

“A hold and secure is initiated when it is desirable to secure the school due to an ongoing situation outside the school and not necessarily related to the school,” Bull said.

She noted letters were emailed to parents informing them of the hold and secure and the protocols followed.

Melnychuk said investigators are asking anyone who has information on the incident and has not yet reported it to police to contact Haliburton Highlands OPP at 705-286-1431, or the OPP provincial communications centre at 1-888-310-1122. Information can also be provided anonymously by contacting Kawartha Haliburton Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.