A 16-year-old Forest Hills High School student is in state juvenile custody after deputies say an Instagram threat against the school was traced back to her IP address. Investigators say the teen was transported to a state-run juvenile facility and charged with communicating threats of mass violence on educational property.
Investigation and arrest
In a statement posted Friday, the Union County Sheriff's Office said detectives focused on an April 3 Instagram message sent from an account using the handle "school.shooter17." According to the post, multiple calls about the threatening message came into the sheriff's office, and detectives followed digital leads that pointed to a device tied to a 16-year-old female Forest Hills student.
The sheriff's office said the student was taken into custody on Wednesday and taken to the Cabarrus Youth Development Center. According to the statement, investigators were told by the teen that she made the threat "because she was just bored." The juvenile was charged with communicating threats of mass violence on educational property, the post said.
School and location
Forest Hills High School is part of Union County Public Schools and is located in Marshville at 100 Forest Hills School Road South. Union County Public Schools includes the campus in its official directory and lists contact information for district administrators.
What the law says
North Carolina law treats threats of mass violence on school property as a criminal offense, and state statutes addressing public-safety crimes spell out how such cases can be charged. N.C. General Statutes also provide a conditional-discharge option in some situations for first-time offenders under the age of 20.
Juvenile processing and facility
Youth arrested on criminal charges in North Carolina are generally handled through the juvenile justice system, where courts and probation officials decide on detention, services, and follow-up steps. The Cabarrus Youth Development Center, which deputies say is where the student was taken, is a state-operated facility and appears on the list of youth development centers maintained by the N.C. Department of Public Safety.
Why authorities take online threats seriously
Officials say social-media threats aimed at schools create real fear in the community and have to be investigated so authorities can determine whether they are credible or a so-called prank. In North Carolina, prosecutors have pursued felony charges in comparable cases when digital evidence ties a threatening post to a specific person, and local coverage has shown that investigators routinely work to identify the accounts and devices behind such messages. WSOC has reported on similar prosecutions.
According to its statement, the Union County Sheriff's Office urged people not to repost or amplify threatening messages and warned that anyone who makes such threats will be held accountable. The agency asked anyone with information about this incident to contact local law enforcement.
