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False Story About School Threat Earns Teen A Criminal Charge
Date Added: April 03, 2018 11:03 am
Laura Williams
Office of Public Affairs & Media Relations
7th-GRADER'S FALSE STORY ABOUT SCHOOL THREAT EARNS FELONY CHARGE
A seventh-grader at River Springs Middle School faces a criminal charge for making a false school threat – and he becomes the 20th student charged by Volusia County sheriff’s deputies since the Feb. 14 shootings in Parkland.
Deputies were called to investigate Monday afternoon after several students reported the 13-year-old male student told them someone was going to shoot up the school. Witnesses said the incident reportedly happened in a boys’ bathroom.
During the investigation, the defendant told deputies “a kid said someone was gonna shoot up the school and I said chill, nothing’s gonna happen and we left.” However, when pressed for more details, the defendant admitted to fabricating the story.
The teen was arrested at 2:47 p.m. and charged with making a “False report concerning the use of firearms on state-owned property.” (Florida Statutes 790.164) , a felony. The teen was given a notice to appear before a judge today and turned over to family members.
In spite of repeated warnings, 20 students have been arrested by the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office (VCSO) for disrupting schools and inciting fear since the school massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
School officials and Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood have vowed to punish students who make threats and jokes about shootings, bombings and other acts of violence at schools. Anyone who continues to make such statements will face criminal charges. And, defendants or their families will be held responsible for the cost for the Sheriff’s Office to investigate their cases.
“I’d like to take these kids we’ve arrested to Parkland for community service to spend time with the families who have lost love ones in this senseless tragedy,” Sheriff Chitwood said. “That would get the point across.”
Law enforcement officers will continue to investigate every suspicious incident to keep the community safe. And we can’t emphasize it enough: Parents, please talk to your kids about the seriousness of making false reports at school or on social media.