Silver Sands Middle Student, 11, Charged With Threat to 'Bomb' School

Date Added: April 18, 2018 2:09 pm

 Laura Williams
Office of Media Relations & Public Affairs

ANGRY AFTER BEING MOVED IN CLASS, STUDENT, 11, ARRESTED AFTER THREAT TO 'BOMB' SCHOOL

An 11-year-old male student at Silver Sands Middle School faces a felony charge after he was overheard saying he was going to bomb the school and his teacher. He is the 25^th student charged by Volusia County sheriff’s deputies for making school threats since the Feb. 14 massacre in Parkland.

Four witnesses confirmed the child’s statement, which occurred Tuesday during a fourth-period class. The student yelled the threat across the classroom because he was mad about having his seat moved, according to the teacher and students in the class.

A School Resource Deputy (SRD) was notified about the incident Wednesday morning.  In a written statement, the student said he was moved to the back of the class by himself.  “One of the kids was teasing me and since he jokes that he is Russian so I said, ‘I’m going to go to Russia and bomb you’ and the teacher didn’t hear me so she asked my other classmates which don’t like me. They told my teacher a false story.”

However, all four statements from witnesses said the student stated he was going to bomb the school and the teacher.

The child was charged with “making a false report concerning planting a bomb, an explosive or a weapon of mass destruction or using firearms in a violent manner” under Florida Statute 790.163.

Despite repeated warnings from Sheriff Mike Chitwood and school officials, students have continued to make school threats since 17 people were killed at Marjorie Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. The Sheriff’s Office has zero tolerance for anyone inciting fear by making threats and jokes about shootings, bombings and other acts of violence at school or on social media.  In addition, defendants or their families will be held responsible for paying the cost of the Sheriff’s Office’s response to their cases – that cost is estimated to be $1,032 per case.