(WWJ) – Charges against metro Detroit students accused of making shooting threats against their schools continue to roll in.
Officials say a handful of students are now charged with making threats in an attempt to get out of school.
In Monroe County, three students are accused of devising a plan to get classes canceled on Tuesday, while a Macomb County student tried to do the same thing last week. The latter has been charged with false report of terrorism -- a 20-year felony.
The rash of shooting threats against metro Detroit students comes a week after a deadly shooting at Oxford High School on Nov. 30. Four students were killed, while six students and a teacher were wounded.
The Monroe County Sheriff’s Office says around 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, the principal at Wager Middle School in Carleton contacted a school resource officer about a threat against the Airport Community Schools District.
An investigation revealed three middle school students went to the principal’s office to report they each interacted with someone on Snapchat who made a threat towards the school and posted it to his “Snap story” on Monday night.
One student showed the principal a screenshot of the threat.
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The school resource officer’s investigation, however, found the students concocted a plan to get out of class.
The sheriff’s office says shortly before they went to the principal’s office, the three students had been talking about other area schools being closed, due to a number of threats over the last week.
One student suggested they report a threat so school would be canceled, the sheriff’s office said.
The student then allegedly created the image of the threat on his own phone.
A 13-year-old boy has been lodged in the Monroe County Youth Center. It was not clear whether the other students will be facing any charges.
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and Airport Community Schools officials say they will “continue to work closely in all matters involving school safety.”
Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Deputy Ryan Sottile at 734-240-7567 or the Sheriff’s Office Detective Bureau at 734-240-7530.
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In Macomb County, meanwhile, a 16-year-old boy has also been charged for making a Snapchat threat against Armada High School.
Michigan State Police officials say troopers were called to the school last Thursday after two students reported the threat to school administrators.
The suspect was initially released to his mother after telling police he saw other schools were closed due to threats and he just wanted a day off of school, authorities said.
The threat was then found not to be credible.
Law enforcement and school administrators are continuing to stress the importance that any students who make threats against schools – whether they’re credible or not – will be charged.
During a press conference last Thursday, Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said “If you’re making threats, we’re going to find you.”
“I don’t know what is in people’s minds to think after a real tragedy it makes sense to make threats," Bouchard said last week. "And typically, we see it fall into two buckets: one is, they think it’s funny. It is not. Two, they think it’s a way to get out of school. It is not. It’s a crime. Even if it’s not a credible threat against the school."
Officials, however, are still encouraging anyone who believes they know of a threat to report it.
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