Two Central Florida middle school students, ages 13 and 14, were arrested for posting threats to commit a school shooting.
Both students are charged with making written threats to kill, which is a felony. The Heritage Middle School students were arrested for posting threats on TikTok and Instagram to commit a school shooting.
Students should be aware that all threats are taken seriously by law enforcement, and threats from “anonymous” accounts can be traced, even if the post and the account itself are deleted.
The Volusia Sheriff’s Office said it will pursue criminal charges to the full extent of the law in every case possible.
Threats meant as “jokes” are no exception.
Recently, law enforcement agencies across Florida have been dealing with a spike in school threats.
No credible threats to any Volusia County schools have been identified. However, each threat causes disruption, alarm, and a major consumption of the law enforcement resources required to thoroughly and immediately investigate every case.
Florida law allows the cost of these investigations to be charged to the parents of the juvenile defendants.
Sheriff Mike Chitwood and Volusia County Schools Superintendent Dr. Carmen Balgobin are asking parents and guardians to take a proactive role in reinforcing this message with students.
This message is not meant to dissuade anyone from reporting a tip about a possible threat, even if the threat turns out to be a hoax.
The Sheriff’s Office and School District continue to encourage students to “See Something, Say Something” and allow authorities to fully investigate every potential threat.
