Orange City, FL - A 13-year-old seventh-grade student at River Springs Middle School in Orange City is the 20th student arrested by the Volusia County Sheriff's Office (VCSO) for making false comments about threats against local schools since the deadly Valentine's Day shooting in Parkland, FL.
On Monday afternoon, the 13-year-old boy was in the bathroom when he told several students someone was going to shoot up the school, VCSO says. Deputies responded to River Springs after being called to investigate.
While being questioned by deputies, the 13-year-old said, "a kid said someone was gonna shoot up the school and I said chill, nothing’s gonna happen, and we left.” When officials asked for more details, the boy admitted that the story was not true.
The student was arrested at 2:47 PM on Monday and charged with a felony. He was charged with making a false report concerning the use of firearms on state-owned property. He was given notice to appear before a judge and turned over to family members.
The VCSO reminds everyone that anyone who continues to make threats or jokes about school shootings will face criminal charges. Defendants or their families will be held responsible for the cost to the Sheriff’s Office to investigate their cases.
“I’d like to take these kids we’ve arrested to Parkland for community service to spend time with the families who have lost loved ones in this senseless tragedy. That would get the point across,” says Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood.
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