A Central Florida student will stand before a judge Friday after authorities say the 16-year-old took to Instagram to suggest a shooting would take place Friday afternoon at Spruce Creek High School.
Authorities say the student is accused of making one of the multiple threats that have disrupted the Volusia County school system. The Atlantic High School student was arrested Thursday and charged with making a false report of a school shooting after posting an Instagram that suggested a shooting would take place Friday afternoon at Spruce Creek High School in Port Orange.
“It’s not cute, it’s not clever, and if we identify the individuals responsible for any of these threats, they aren’t going to like the consequences,” Sheriff Mike Chitwood said Thursday. “We’ve all had enough. To anyone contemplating risking his or her future by threatening a school and catching a felony, I’d suggest finding other pursuits.”
There have been a number of hoax threats in Volusia County this week, including written messages on bathroom walls at University and Spruce Creek high schools and one sent through Crime Stoppers that was directed at New Smyrna Beach Middle School.
Officials say nearly a quarter of Spruce Creek's students stayed home on Thursday.