Student At Heritage Middle In Deltona Arrested For Threats Against The School

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Deltona, FL - A 14-year-old student from Heritage Middle School in Deltona was arrested for making threats that he was going to blow up his classroom and shoot those in his class. The threats were ultimately determined to be unfounded since the student did not have access to firearms, and reports of a bomb were untrue, according to Volusia County Sheriff's Office (VCSO). The threats took place at around 10:20 AM Friday. The 14-year-old came to class and disrupted classmates with comments about the recent school shooting in Broward County. The teacher told him that the comments were inappropriate, but he continued to make threatening comments and began to pick up a stapler and shoot staples into the ground, VCSO says. The boy was removed from class. When the student was questioned by deputies, he told them that his statements were only jokes. The student was taken into custody and is charged with a felony and a misdemeanor. "The aftermath of this tragedy is not the time for jokes, pranks, or fake threats," Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said at a joint Friday press conference with Volusia County Schools. "Knock off the pranks. Knock off the jokes so that we're able to do our job." He explained that VCSO has responded to 15 false threats following the recent events in Broward County. "Volusia County Schools have safety and security plans and protocols in place, and we have heightened security at our schools in the past couple days," Superintendent Tom Russell of Volusia County Schools said at the press conference. Russell explained that parents can help school officials and law enforcement by monitoring their children's social media pages, checking their children's backpacks, and speaking out if they see something suspicious. Anyone who witnesses a threat or is aware of suspicious activity that might indicate potential violence should call 911 in an emergency or use VCSO's non-emergency line at 386-248-1777. Photo courtesy Kim Britten and Shutterstock.com. Copyright Southern Stone Communications 2018.
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