Hall County Sheriff's officials have made two arrests as of late Thursday night (September 5) behind online social media threats directed at three schools within the county.
A release from the Sheriff's Office says they fielded dozens of reports from citizens concerned about online posts threatening violence against multiple schools in the Hall County School District.
Jaymon Alan Justice, 17, of Flowery Branch, was arrested Thursday night at his residence and charged as an adult with terroristic threats and acts and disruption or interference with operation of public schools, both misdemeanor offenses. Investigators determined Justice had edited a social media post referencing a threat at another school outside of Hall County and tagged the location of Cherokee Bluff High School. He then allegedly shared the post to Snapchat. At last check, Justice has been released from the Hall County Jail on bond of $2,600.
Meanwhile, the other suspect is a 13-year-old male who was charged as a juvenile. The investigation determined the teen shared an Instagram message indicating he would perform an act of violence at Johnson High School and South Hall Middle School. The juvenile offender was taken into custody without incident at his residence. He was transported to the Regional Youth Detention Center (RYDC) in Gainesville to face juvenile complaints of terroristic threats and acts and disruption or interference with operation of public schools.
Sheriff Gerald Couch says in the release Friday morning, “It is disheartening that anyone would threaten a school, but beyond that, it is infuriating that these threats - hoax or not - come on the heels of the horrific attack that happened this week at Apalachee High School. I commend our community members for staying vigilant and alerting law enforcement when they see something suspicious. I assure everyone that we will do everything we can to find those responsible for spreading unnecessary fear, especially in our schools. ”
