WAYNE COUNTY, Mich. (WWJ) – Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy says her office is continuing to take any threats of violence against schools “very seriously.”
In a little more than a week since the deadly Oxford High School shooting, Worthy says she has charged 18 students with making school threats and she’s looking into charges against five or six more students, as of Wednesday afternoon.
“Every threat that we receive, whether they intend to carry it out or not, it’s still a crime and we have to take it seriously,” Worthy said live on WWJ Wednesday.
The prosecutor says copycat threats often arise in the wake of tragic events and that her office is working diligently to put an end to it.
The copycat threats haven’t just been isolated to Wayne County, however, as schools all across metro Detroit have dealt with threats.
On Wednesday alone, police were investigating threats at Macomb Dakota High School and Stoney Creek High School, where a note with “disturbing language” was found in a bathroom.
Earlier this week, students in Monroe County and Macomb Counties were accused of making threats because they wanted to get out of class.
“Whenever you make such a threat, it’s not fun, it’s not funny, it’s not a game,” Worthy told WWJ.
Last week and into this week, there have been hundreds of school closures across southeast Michigan due to threats or fear of general threats.
Worthy said “there could be severe consequences” for those who make threats, even if they don’t intend to carry them out or they don’t get charged with a crime.
“A college or university that’s admitted you may hear about this and take away their admittance. We’ve seen that happen,” she said, noting older students who have jobs could potentially be fired over threats.
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