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Two Additional Escambia County Children Arrested For School Threats
September 17, 2024
Monday, the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office arrested two more Escambia County children for allegedly making school threats.
The ECOS said a 12-year-old student from McArthur Elementary was charged for threats made during a FaceTime conversation with other students. “He threatened to bring a firearm to school and kill one of the students,” the Sheriff’s Office said. The student has been charged with written or electronic threats with intent to kill or cause bodily harm to another.
Additionally, a 15-year-old homeschooled juvenile who allegedly posted threats on Snapchat has been arrested for written or electric threats with intent to kill or cause bodily harm to another. Investigators said he posted that he was going to shoot the schools up in the Snapchat post.
“We have been very clear about school threats. If you make such a threat, you will be arrested. Parents, PLEASE explain this to your children,” Sheriff Chip Simmons said in a statement released Monday night.
Two threats last week with one arrest
An 11-year-old Bellview Middle School student was arrested in connection with a Friday social media threat against schools in Escambia County.
The female student, whose name has not been released, was charged with written or electronic threats to conduct a mass shooting, a second degree felony, according to the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office. The arrest came after a joint investigation involving the ECSO, FBI and the Escambia County School District.
Investigators said the investigation is ongoing, and additional arrests may be forthcoming.
“Safety of our students is a top priority,” Sheriff Chip Simmons said. He said the Escambia County Sheriff’s Office takes all threats seriously.
“We are grateful to our students and staff for remaining calm and professional during what was a stressful morning. To the parents who entrust us with their children every day, thank you, as well,” the school district said in a statement Friday afternoon.
“Be certain, we will use every tool at our disposal to be sure the person or persons responsible for today’s disruption never has the opportunity to do something like this again. We will work with our partners in law enforcement as they investigate further and we will pursue charges. We want to send the message that this behavior will not be tolerated in any of our schools. To those who seek to promote chaos by knowingly spreading harmful and disruptive disinformation, we will pursue you with every legal means available.”
The safety and well-being of our students, employees and community at-large is, and will remain, your school district’s number one priority. We will not waver,” the district statement concluded.
Friday morning, the district said they were investigating a potential threat against several area schools. The district did not provide any additional details, and no specific schools were identified.
Numerous parents provided NorthEscambia.com with a copy of the alleged photo and threat that were posted online. A search indicated that photo was posted first a year ago and it was altered with additional text.
Friday’s threat was the second in Escambia County this week. A social media threat Monday (pictured below) against Ernest Ward Middle School was deemed unfounded by the district. Escambia County Schools Superintendent Keith Leonard said the alleged threat was discussed on social media and was believed to be “internal” involving students at the school in Walnut Hill.
NorthEscambia.com graphic and image, click to enlarge.
Comments
3 Responses to “Two Additional Escambia County Children Arrested For School Threats”
This is getting out of hand. Oh, the simple of days of just going to school…..it’s become so much more. You have to take each threat seriously, I understand, there are some terrible consequences that go along also with the prosecution. First step would be No Phones on school property. The phones are a distraction and enable this stuff to get created. This whole mess is so sad. Kids will be kids and do a lot of dumb things. Most don’t realize the magnitude of their actions and lifelong record this causes.
This is absolute madness. Parents, please take the time to sit down to sit down with your children and explain to them the seriousness of making statements or threats to inflict bodily harm to another. We are in uncertain times in both our nation and in the world. Now is the time for level heads and words of wisdom and encouragement, not for making idle statements and senseless threats.
These kids think they are flexing or think it’s funny. They are going to mess around and find out this is a serious thing today. It is so sad too, I’m so glad mine are out and have been a few years. It was a sad evening sitting them down and telling them to look in every classroom they attended for a safe spot in case of a school shooting. I long for the days that weren’t a factor in school. We would drive to Ernest Ward in our trucks with our rifles hanging in the gun rack to go hunting after school and nothing was ever said. We settled our differences with fists. Problem today kids are weak and too afraid of getting their booty kicked, so they immediately go to gun talk.