School threats on social media lead to arrest

The Hays County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday that a juvenile was arrested in connection to a generic threat on Oct. 16, that referenced school violence was imminent and which was sent out via social media applications.

Several school districts were affected in the area and across Texas recently by this generic communication, according to Hays County Sheriff’s Office Deputy Anthony Hipolito, spokesperson for the office.

The Austin Regional Intelligence Center was made aware of the threat which had parents taking to Facebook and other social media sites to express their concern. ARIC notified law enforcement in their respective areas.

Hipolito stated that the sheriff’s office notified appropriate school resource officers across the county and immediately began investigating from where the threats may have originated.

Later on that same day, a second screenshot was sent out via social media that specified a threat to a school in Hays that was to occur around 1:30 p.m., the deputy stated. School district officials, as well as school resource officers were again notified, and a separate investigation began.

At approximately 1:30 p.m., a separate and not related incident occurred at Hays High School in which fire alarms were set off, the press release stated.

This caused further confusion resulting in that several students left campus, creating alarm for the entire community. The deputy stated that hundreds of parents rushed to the school to locate their children.

A school resource officer learned a 16-year-old student might allegedly be the individual responsible for sending the second screenshot via social media–the one that referenced a school in Hays County, the press release stated. The juvenile was located at Hays High School, the deputy stated. During an interview at the sheriff’s office, officers stated they learned the screenshot was pulled from social media and was personalized as being in reference to Hays High School as a joke, the press release stated. The screenshot was sent to several students, which triggered one or more of the students at the school to be alarmed and it was posted on social media.

The deputy stated that the juvenile was arrested early Tuesday and charged with false alarm, which is a state jail felony. Because the person taken into custody and charged is a juvenile, the sheriff’s office will not release the name. Hays County Sheriff Gary Cutler stated that threats of school violence are taken seriously and should never be joked about. Hays County Sheriff’s Office is committed to “keeping our schools as safe as possible,” he stated.