Since a shooting February 14 at a Florida high school killed 17 people and injured several others, there have been at least 12 arrests of students in East Tennessee and Southeast Kentucky for making threats.
The next morning, on February 15, Roane County Schools learned that a verbal threat was made against Oliver Springs High School. The student who made the threat was removed from the school immediately, and the sheriff's department opened an investigation. A week later, a warrant was issued for the student's arrest, but we don't know the exact charges.
That same evening, Cocke County authorities were notified that a 14-year-old boy had a "kill list" of people he planned to shoot at Edgemont Elementary. When confronted by officers, the 8th grader showed them the list. He said he'd been bullied and wanted to scare people, but that he wasn't really going to hurt anyone. He was charged with disorderly conduct and harassment.
Kentucky State Police arrested a 14-year-old boy in Laurel County on Saturday, February 17, for threatening on social media to shoot up North Laurel Middle School. He was charged with 2nd degree Terroristic Threatening.
On Thursday, February 22, three East Tennessee teenagers were taken into custody for allegedly making threats against fellow students on social media.
The Anderson County Sheriff's Department said a 15-year-old Clinton High School female student sent messages on social media to a male student "that ultimately led to threats." She is being held in juvenile detention on unspecified charges.
A 17-year-old male student from Morristown East High School was arrested Thursday evening for allegedly posting threats against other teens on social media. The Morristown Police Department said the teen is being held during the investigation, and will be charged.
Also, on Thursday, a 13-year-old Robertsville Middle School student was arrested for threatening to "shoot up the school" in Oak Ridge during a moment of silence for victims of the recent school shooting in Florida, according to Oak Ridge Police. The boy was expelled and sent home, and later arrested on charges of harassment, disruption of a gathering, and felony false reporting.
A 15-year-old freshman at Claiborne High School in Tazewell was charged around noon Thursday with making a false report and disrupting a meeting after authorities said he admitted to writing a threatening note to his school. According to Claiborne County Sheriff David Ray, the note, which was obtained by the school resource officer and the assistant principal, made threats to kill students and teachers beginning Friday morning. The student stated he did not mean to hurt anyone and it was his way to get out of school.
On Friday, February 23, three more students faced charges, two of them in Oak Ridge.
Officers were called to Robertsville Middle School for the second day in a row. A 12-year-old student was arrested for threatening another student on social media, and was charged with assault and harassment.
Oak Ridge police were later sent to Oak Ridge High School on another student threat. A 15-year-old male student allegedly told another student that if he was going to "shoot up the school," he "would shoot her first." He was also charged with assault and harassment.
Also on Friday, a Cocke County High School student was arrested for bringing a CO2 pellet gun to school. Other students said he showed it to them and said he brought it to protect himself. They told administrators, who contacted authorities. The boy said he was just joking around, but was charged with disorderly conduct.
On Monday February 26, a 16-year-old Blount County High School sophomore was arrested after authorities say he threatened to shoot up his high school. According to the Blount County Sheriff's Office, a school resource officer found evidence on the student's school-issued Chromebook that he had been searching information about school shootings. The student is charged with being delinquent by false report for making threats.
The next day, a 16-year-old sophomore was arrested and charged with delinquent by false report Tuesday after he was identified on video posting threatening post-it notes on columns outside the school. The notes allegedly stated he planned to shoot up the school on dates that coincided with spring break.