A 17-year-old Spoto High School senior is facing felony charges after deputies say he called the school's front office claiming a bomb was planted inside and that everyone was going to die. The threat, made on Wednesday, prompted an immediate deputy search of the campus building where the caller said the device had been placed. No explosives were found.
According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, the call came in directly to the Spoto High receptionist, with the caller first asking, “Is this Spoto?” before claiming a bomb had been planted on the first floor of the school's 200 building and that everyone was going to die. Deputies immediately searched that building and confirmed no explosives were present.
A Spoto High School student has been arrested after calling in a bomb threat against the school.
— HCSO (@HCSOSheriff) August 20, 2026
On August 19, the school received a call from someone claiming a bomb was in the building and that everyone was going to die. Deputies immediately searched the school. No explosives… pic.twitter.com/Ycg5g5HXXo
Detectives traced the threatening phone number to the family of 12th-grader Alexander Parris, then interviewed Parris and his mother at the school. Investigators confirmed the phone belonged to the family and that it contained Spoto High School in its call history, identifying Parris as the confirmed user of the device, per the sheriff's office. He was arrested and now faces charges of false report of a bomb, explosive, or weapon of mass destruction, disrupting a school campus or function, and unlawful use of a two-way communications device.
Sheriff Chronister Warns Against Treating Threats as a Joke
Sheriff Chad Chronister said authorities will find, arrest, and hold accountable anyone who threatens one of their schools. He added that a bomb threat is not a joke, a prank, or something the office will ever take lightly, and warned that a single call can create fear and disrupt an entire school.
Under Florida Statute § 790.163, making a false report about a planted bomb or explosive is a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine, and state law bars judges from withholding adjudication on the charge, meaning a conviction remains permanently on a defendant's record. Parris also faces a third-degree felony under Florida Statute § 934.215 for using a two-way communication device to facilitate the offense, which carries up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine, according to Buda Law. The disruption charge falls under Florida Statute § 877.13, classified as a second-degree misdemeanor for knowingly interfering with a school's lawful functions, per Blue360° Media.
Beyond criminal penalties, Florida Statute § 790.165(5) allows courts to order those convicted of hoax bomb threats to pay full restitution to law enforcement for the costs of the emergency response, according to the Florida Senate. Search operations involving deputies, and in larger cases K9 or bomb disposal units, can consume significant public resources.
Part of a Pattern Across Hillsborough County Schools
Spoto High, located at 8538 Eagle Palm Drive in Riverview, opened in 2006 to ease overcrowding in south Hillsborough County and serves roughly 1,900 students in grades 9 through 12, drawing from communities including Progress Village and Palm River-Clair Mel. The school enters the 2026-2027 year under Principal Candace Culpepper, who has kept the campus at a “B” state grade for three consecutive years and offers dual-enrollment coursework through the Spoto Collegiate Academy; she has emphasized campus safety and attendance in her welcome message to families, per Hillsborough County Public Schools.
This is not an isolated case for the district. In April, Tampa Police arrested a 15-year-old Riverview resident for sending a late-night text bomb threat to Middleton High School, which triggered an overnight sweep by the department's bomb squad before classes opened, according to the Riverview teen busted before Middleton bomb scare. And in September 2024, a threat investigation at Newsome High School led the sheriff's office to deploy roughly 200 personnel, including SWAT, bomb disposal, and K9 units, with the agency noting it had investigated 111 school threats in an eight-day span that month, as reported by WFLA.
The sheriff's office says its mission is to protect and defend the community while preserving the rights and dignity of all, and it has stressed that felony prosecution follows regardless of whether a threat was intended as a prank. Parris's case adds to a growing local list of students charged under Florida's bomb-hoax statutes even when no device is ever found.
