Sheriff Highlights School-Related Threats, Announces Charges Against Teens
(OCSO, Sept 11, 2024)
Oakland County, MI- Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard wants there to be no misunderstanding: if you threaten violence against a school or a student – whether you think it’s a prank or not – law enforcement will soon be knocking on your door.
Three 16-year-old students at South Lyon East High School found out the sheriff was not kidding. The three appeared today in juvenile court to face charges stemming from their arrests Tuesday – a day after they were questioned about social media posts they made threatening to either bomb or shoot up their school.
Bouchard said the two South Lyon school threats were among five reports detectives have taken in the past five days.
“Having investigated five potential or real threats in five days is completely unacceptable and traumatizing to the community,” Bouchard said. “I want to be very clear, that any threat will be fully investigated, and we will seek to hold the person accountable for their actions. Whether they intended to carry out an act of violence or thought it was a joke, it is a crime and will be treated as such.”
Two of the South Lyon students were charged with making a false report of a threat of terrorism – a 20-year felony. The third student was charged with making an intentional threat to commit violence against a school – a one-year misdemeanor.
The two of the students are being held in in Oakland County Children’s Village. The third was released to his parents and is not permitted to leave home. He is also not allowed to use social media or have any contact with the school. The cases for two of the students will be assigned to court in Washtenaw County as the students reside there. The third student lives in South Lyon and is to appear in court Oct. 3.
The South Lyon case was brought after a student reported the threatening message to a teacher, who informed administrators.
Bouchard said sharing important information is critical. “I want to commend those that brought these incidents to our attention because students and teachers are much more likely to be in a position to hear or see something that is of concern, and we need to work together to intervene before it becomes a response scenario,” Bouchard said. “Parents. please talk to your children and impress upon them that saying or doing certain things are unacceptable.”
The other threats were in Independence Township, Orion Township and Pontiac.
• On Sunday, the Sheriff’s Office was alerted to a possible threat made via social media towards Clarkston Junior High School. Detectives identified a student who had made the post and met with the student and their parents at their residence. Detectives determined there was no credible threat and that this particular social media post had already been investigated. School administrators have been made aware of the incident.
• On Sept. 6, a school resource deputy and school administration at Pontiac Middle School were made aware by students that another student had made a statement about using a gun to shoot them. A security check was conducted, and no weapons were found. Detectives arrived and began their investigation. School administrators sent the 13-year-old student home pending a threat assessment and virtual parent meeting.
• On Sept. 6, detectives investigated a concerning social media post at Lake Orion High School. The investigation produced no credible or direct threat to the school.
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