A juvenile student has been charged for making a shooting threat toward another student via Snapchat, according to the Owensboro Police Department.
According to a release, OPD was notified on Tuesday “that a shooting threat was made through the use of the social media platform Snapchat, towards an Apollo High School student.”
An OPD School Resource Officer coordinated with the Patrol Division, who was able to locate the juvenile suspect — a student at Emerson Academy — and transport them to the Owensboro Police Department for further investigation, according to OPD.
“Detectives interviewed the juvenile and were able to confirm the threat was made,” the release says.
The juvenile suspect was charged with second-degree terroristic threatening. The juvenile was taken into custody, but the Court Designated Worker’s Office responded and directed the juvenile to be released to their parents, according to the release.
Owensboro Public Schools Public Information Officer Jared Revlett sent a statement that reads: “We are grateful for our School Resource Officer and the Owensboro Police Department for their quick action following a tip they received regarding a threatening post made on Snapchat. Again, we can’t stress enough the importance of speaking to your child about the consequences of making or sharing threatening statements, especially on social media. We take the matters very seriously and will continue to follow the Owensboro Public Schools Code of Conduct and act on these matters accordingly.”
Daviess County Public Schools Public Information Officer Maddie Edwards sent a statement that reads: “Upon learning of potentially threatening comments made on social media by a student in another school district, the DCPS Police Department immediately began an investigation. We are thankful for the quick response by the DCPS and Owensboro Police Department working together to resolve this matter. Student safety is our top priority. We want to continue encouraging families to talk to their children about the serious nature of making threats and the importance of immediately reporting any threat or issue of concern to law enforcement or a trusted adult.”
OPD worked in conjunction with the Daviess County Public Schools Police, the Daviess County Sheriff’s Office, Apollo High School, and Owensboro Public Schools to identify and charge the juvenile responsible.
“We urge all community members to actively engage in communicating with our youth that these types of threats are not a joke or funny in any capacity and will have severe consequences. OPD and school officials take these threats seriously and will take swift action against those who threaten the safety of our children,” OPD said in the release.
