A few tense moments in Cassville Thursday as schools were locked down while authorities searched for a suspect wanted for stealing a vehicle.

Springfield television station K-O-L-R reports the Barry County Sheriff’s Department alerted the Superintendent of Schools about a man wanted for questioning that might be in the area of one of the district’s buildings.  The schools then went on alert and went in to lock down procedure for more than 90 minutes.  The stolen vehicle was found in the parking lot of the elementary school. 

The school district says all exterior doors were locked and classroom doors were closed and locked and all students were kept confined with their teachers in their classroom.

Parents were notified immediately with a series of instant messaging and digital warnings. The school district even updated its Facebook page to keep the community informed.

The suspect was arrested a short time later in a nearby park, after being spotted by school maintenance workers.  Following the arrest, school activities returned to normal and the lock down was cancelled. No one was injured.