FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE…
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
16 Year Old Juvenile Arrested For Making Threats Against School
Sheriff Mitch Ralston Reports:
Late last night (February 20), deputy sheriffs received a tip that an unknown person had made a threat to commit an act of violence at a local school. An investigation was immediately undertaken and leads were followed which uncovered social media messages and ‘screenshots’ of photographs depicting explicit threats to “shoot up” a local school. Deputies located witnesses and other evidence which led them to the home of a 16 year old Gordon Central High School student near Calhoun. The 16 year old was taken into custody without incident and initially taken to the Sheriff’s Office. His parents have cooperated with investigating officers. The student made admissions to detectives that he had in fact made the threats. He was immediately remanded into the custody of the Regional Youth Detention Center by the local Juvenile Court. He is scheduled to appear in Gordon County Juvenile Court at a later date where he will face charges of Making Terroristic Threats (felony). Sheriff Ralston said, ” I want everyone to know how very seriously my staff and I take any such threats against a school, students, staff, or visitors. I will not tolerate violence or threats against a school, student body, individual students, staff, or others. We will aggressively investigate, arrest, and prosecute anyone who chooses to make such a terrible and uninformed decision, and see to it that any such person is held accountable in our local court system.”