A Michigan teenager has been arrested following a social media threat targeted at a student from Lake Orion High School. The Oakland County Sheriff's Office took the 17-year-old from Pontiac into custody yesterday, three months after he was initially caught trespassing at the high school with a weapon. The threat, posted on Snapchat on Thursday, lead to an urgent investigation by authorities, as reported by CBS News Detroit.
The teen, who is currently not enrolled in any school, was previously arrested and charged with carrying a concealed weapon among other items, after a suspicious person dressed in all black and a carrying backpack was seen on school grounds on February 7. According to clickondetroit, sheriff's deputies at the time found a machete and three knives in the backpack. The teen informed authorities that the latest threat was against an individual student and not a wider threat to the school.
In a subsequent incident, dressed all in black, the teen was also involved in a domestic dispute where he was arrested for allegedly assaulting his father on March 28. "I'm glad we quickly located and arrested him, helping to put the school and students at ease. I look forward to more accountability for him from the system," Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard stated, a sentiment echoing the zero-tolerance policy towards threats against schools or individuals, as mentioned in a report by The Detroit News.
The suspect is now held at the Oakland County Children’s Village following his arrest last Friday, after a Snapchat post he made threatening: "It's open season on Lake Orion students," came to light. After being informed about the alarming Snapchat by a Lake Orion High School student, the school resource officer took immediate steps to notify the school officials, who then acted in conjunction with law enforcement, as "Everyone should very clearly know at this point that we have zero tolerance for individuals that make threats against schools or other people," said Sheriff Michael Bouchard in a statement, obtained by The Detroit News.
