A Smithfield High School student is in custody after a threat made online Tuesday prompted lockdowns at both the middle and high schools.
The student was taken into custody Tuesday night and charged with two counts of communicating a threat via electronic means. During a search of the home, deputies found an AR-15 rifle.
Also Tuesday morning, students at Northampton High School alerted parents of a vague threat of gun violence on social media, specifically SnapChat posts. The posts indicated that individuals would attempt to ‘shoot up the school’.
Parents alerted school officials, and the Northampton County Sheriffs Departement responded within minutes, interviewing some students that were aware of the posts.
The school and Sheriffs Department increased security around the school, however, by the end of the day, Superintendent Eddie Lawrence announced that the threat was deemed ‘unreliable’.
While the threat turned out to be empty, the murmurs of retaliation for the shooting homicide in Exmore that have been heard in the county required preemptive action.
The Mirror has attempted to get more details from the County Sheriffs Department, but as of this publishing, we have no more information. This story will be updated as more details come in.
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Good work. All threats should be taken seriously.