Two more local arrests made over school threats, FBI warns of hoax threats

Two more area counties are reporting arrests for threats against their schools.

 

The Jackson County Sheriff’s Office (JCSO) was notified of a possible threat made by a 12-year-old on Friday.

 

In a Facebook post, JCSO said that the student attends East Jackson Middle School and that he was not in school on Friday.

 

JCSO investigators went to the residence and he was brought to JCSO for interviews and further investigation. 

 

The 12-year-old was charged with terroristic threats and public disruption of school and booked at the Jackson County Jail and transported to the Gainesville Regional Youth Detention Center for detainment.

 

Rabun County also reported a threat made against Rabun County High School.

 

In a release on Friday, Rabun County Sheriff’s Office (RCSO) reported that in the evening hours of Thursday they were made aware of the threat being shared on social media.

 

The threat in question was sent as a screenshot from an anonymous user on social media. After being notified, RCSO launched an investigation.

 

On Friday, investigators were able to identify a 15-year-old juvenile and placed them under arrest.

 

They were charged with terroristic threats and acts, disrupting operation of public school, and dissemination of information relating to terroristic acts.

 

In that vein, the FBI and GBI released a statement on Friday regarding some of the threats making the rounds on social media.

 

They reminded citizens that “law enforcement wants to remind the public that making specific threats on social media will be investigated and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

 

They also said that schools and law enforcement see an increase in reports following a mass shooting incident as the public and students are more apt to report suspicious activities.

 

They said that reposting these online threats can cause “undue panic and spread false information.”

 

“To date, the majority of investigations into threats posted online since the Apalachee High School shooting have been deemed non-credible,” the agencies said in the press release.