11-year-old accused of making school threat
An 11-year-old boy was arrested by the Lee County Sheriff’s Office after investigators say he made an online school threat.
On Monday, Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno announced the child’s arrest, stating the threat came from TikTok.
“I will (never) tolerate threats against our schools,” Marceno said in a video posted the agency’s Facebook page. “I’m proud of our detectives for acting swiftly, and grateful to the FBI for their partnership in removing this threat before harm could occur.”
According to LCSO, on Saturday, detectives with the School Threat Enforcement Team were alerted by the FBI’s National Threat Operation Section regarding a violent threat made by a local user.
The post stated “I live near your school. On Monday I’m gonna come to it with an automatic rifle and shoot it up. And if you cancel Monday, I’ll just bomb the school.”
LCSO officials said detectives quickly identified and located the boy, who was taken into custody and transported to the Juvenile Assessment Center.
He has been charged with intimidation by electronic threat, and threat to bomb.
The boy attends North Fort Myers Academy for the Arts, a K-8 public school. The Breeze is withholding his name due to his age.
The School District of Lee County sent a message notifying student families on Sunday:
“Good Afternoon NFMAA family,
“This email is to inform you that one of our students has been arrested for allegedly making a threat against our campus on social media.
“We will not tolerate this kind of behavior at North Fort Myers Academy for the Arts. In addition to the legal consequences, the student will face discipline as outlined in the Code of Conduct.
“Please remind your child about how important it is to use social media responsibly and to report any concerning comments, posts, or behavior. Working together, we can ensure our school environment is safe and always focused on teaching and learning.
“Thank you for your trust and understanding.
“North Fort Myers Academy for the Arts Admin Team”