Enterprise Boy Becomes 18th Student Charged By VCSO Since Parkland Shooting

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Enterprise, FL - A 13-year-old student at Florida United Methodist Children's Home in Enterprise has become the 18th student charged by the Volusia County Sheriff's Office in cases of school threats since the Parkland shooting.

The teen was arrested on Tuesday afternoon after he allegedly made false statements about guns and disrupted class.

According to VCSO, the 13-year-old said there was a gun in someone's backpack in class. When he was asked about it, he reportedly made a hand gesture like a gun then moved his finger, pretending to pull a trigger. The student then allegedly asked, "What are you going to do, arrest me?" He was immediately suspended and the incident was reported to the school principal.

A sheriff's deputy got to the school at about 4:31 PM and, after investigating, charged the student with making a false report concerning the use of a firearm, which is a felony, and disrupting a school function, a misdemeanor. The student was arrested and taken to VCSO's District 4 office for processing. A charging affidavit was sent to the Department of Juvenile Justice, but they didn't accept the student for incarceration. Instead, they provided information for a court appearance on Wednesday.

The deputy submitted an investigative cost affidavit, as per Sheriff Mike Chitwood's warning from the previous week that defendants or their families could be held responsible for paying the cost of the Sheriff's Office's response to their cases. Officials say the minimum cost is $1,082, but the actual cost could be much higher, depending on the resources required in each individual case.

In a statement, Public Information Officer Laura Williams wrote the following:

"Since the Feb. 14 school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office continues to show zero tolerance for threats and jokes about shootings, bombings and other acts of violence. Anyone who continues to make such statements will face criminal charges. Parents are encouraged to talk to their children about the seriousness of making false reports at school or on social media."

Photo courtesy Paolo Certo and Shutterstock.com.

Copyright Southern Stone Communications 2018.

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