PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Monday was the third straight school day an unsubstantiated threat forced an evacuation of Coatesville Area High School. The threats have the Chester County district attorney’s office giving a reminder that intentionally sending a false threat is a crime.
Chester County District Attorney Deb Ryan says every report is taken seriously and fully investigated, and they want people to speak up if they see something or are concerned. But she gave a warning about fake reports.
“If we do determine that someone intentionally falsely reported information, and now is taking resources that are needed elsewhere in the county, if we determine that that was an intentional false report, that's when we will make an arrest,” said Ryan.
Ryan says the penalties for any person involved with a false report include up to a year in jail and a $2,500 fine.
She feels it’s disappointing to see students losing out on milestone events like homecoming games because of what appear to be pranks.
“So the message is clear,” said Ryan. “I hope that we will not condone this type of behavior, and that we will make arrests when we can.”
The Pennsylvania attorney general’s office runs the Safe2Say Something app, where tips can be made anonymously.
In the 2021-22 school year, 1,053 of the 26,174 tips (about 4%) made to Safe2Say were designated “false or pranks.” 384 were labeled “deliberate abuse of system” with the goal of “harm or disruption.”
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