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University Student, 15, is Latest Charged With Making School Threat
Date Added: May 07, 2018 5:41 pm
Laura Williams, Office of Media Relations & Public Affairs
UNIVERSITY STUDENT CHARGED WITH THREAT TO ‘SHOOT UP’ SCHOOL
A DeBary teenager became the latest Volusia County student charged with a felony for verbally threatening to shoot up his school since the Feb. 14 massacre in Parkland, Fla., where 17 people were killed.
With just a few weeks left of this school year, today’s arrest is the 28th student arrested by the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office for making a school threat.
Today’s incident occurred about 10 a.m. at University High School, 1000 W. Rhode Island Ave., Orange City. A school resource deputy was contacted by an assistant principal who said a student made a verbal threat to “shoot up the school.”
A school employee was in the school’s auditorium when she heard the student make the verbal threat. A campus advisor was advised of the threat and contacted the assistant principal. The student at first denied making the threat but eventually admitted he made the threat “to be funny.” The student is being charged under Florida Statute 790.162, making threats of a school shooting, a felony. Students are taken into custody at the Department of Juvenile Justice.
Sheriff Mike Chitwood and Volusia County School Superintendent Tom Russell have zero tolerance for anyone making jokes about school shootings or threatening to harm anyone at school or on social media. Each time a student is charged for making a school threat or false report, they or their family will be required to pay the cost of investigating each incident – a fee of at least $1,082.