Harford County has seen a troubling spike in the number of threats made against schools over the past week. This concern took a sharp turn toward reality when a student was arrested early Wednesday morning after making a threat on Snapchat to commit a school shooting. According to WBALTV, the Harford County Sheriff's Office acted on an anonymous tip and tracked down the suspect, now facing serious charges.
The Sheriff's Office stated, "We will investigate all threats of violence against a school, and when possible, charge students who are responsible for spreading fear," a sentiment that comes after deputies investigated 11 threats last week alone. Three more in the last 13 hours as of Wednesday afternoon, signaling a distressing uptrend of such incidents. The student, whose name and school cannot be disclosed due to Maryland law, is currently charged with making threats to commit mass violence, according to a safety alert posted by the Sheriff's Office on their Facebook page, as reported by Fox Baltimore.
Deputies had to begin their work in the dead of night, at around 2:20 a.m., showing the urgency with which law enforcement is responding to these threats. While the Sheriff's Office remains tight-lipped about the specifics of the individual involved, the action taken reflects a zero-tolerance attitude toward threats of violence in educational settings.
