(CBS DETROIT) – A 15-year-old girl in Monroe County’s Whiteford School District arrested this weekend after he was accused of sharing an image of a firearm in a group chat on social media.
According to Monroe County police, the teen also threatened to shoot at the school.
“It’s very scary,” said Scott Huard, superintendent of the Whiteford Schools District
Huard said he first heard about the alleged threat on Saturday. A relative of the teen alerted the district, which immediately contacted police.
“I think school districts understand how important each threat is and that you have to take it seriously, and that’s why we do risk assessments,” Huard said.
Within minutes of being notified of the alleged threat, officers were dispatched to the teen’s home, Monroe County Sheriff’s Deputy Jay Hammond said.
Hammond said she was arrested and the firearm mentioned in the social media post was recovered.
“If you find this funny, it’s not. We don’t consider it a joke,” Hammond said.
Hammond said school shootings put law enforcement on edge. Last week, two students and two teachers were killed in a shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia. He said there is no way to know if this teen intended to carry out the shooting, and said that is why all threats should be taken seriously.
“This has been stopped because someone reported it, and we really asked that you continue this. If you see this kind of thing, please bring it to our attention,” Hammond said.
As a precaution, classes were canceled in the Whiteford School District on Monday.
Huard said it saddens him that these types of threats are happening everywhere, and especially in Monroe County.
“We pride ourselves on knowing our students and our families and building relationships with kids to the point where we know there is someone out there who is in so much pain, who has a great cry for help, and who may be coming to school to harm students and our staff,” Huard said.
The school district is expected to send a notice to parents Monday evening indicating whether school will reopen on Tuesday.
Gino Vicci
