A 14-year-old River Ridge High School student was arrested Thursday on felony charges after investigators say the teen solicited someone overseas to make false active shooter and bomb threats against the New Port Richey campus, tying the arrest to a monthslong investigation into swatting incidents that have rattled the school throughout 2026.
The Pasco Sheriff's Office announced the arrest in a post from its official Twitter account, according to Pasco Sheriff, charging the student with principal in the first degree for threats to discharge a destructive device and with unlawful use of a two-way communication device. Investigators say evidence confirmed the teen solicited an overseas actor to carry out the calls, and the student admitted to coordinating the false threats, per the sheriff's office.
The Pasco Sheriff’s Office arrested a 14 year old River Ridge High School student today for Principal in the first degree for threats to discharge a destructive device and unlawful use of a two-way communication device following a continued investigation into early 2026 swatting… pic.twitter.com/Uq25Vi6Cw7
— Pasco Sheriff (@PascoSheriff) September 10, 2026
How a Remote Caller Still Means a Felony at Home
Even though the person who allegedly placed the threatening calls was located overseas, Florida law treats the teen who arranged it the same as if they had made the calls themselves. Under Florida Statute 777.011, a principal in the first degree includes anyone who commits, aids, abets, counsels, hires, or procures an offense, which establishes equal criminal liability for co-conspirators regardless of whether they were physically present, according to the statute compiled by Online Sunshine. That means soliciting or recruiting someone else to execute a crime carries the same felony exposure as pulling it off directly.
The underlying threat charge stems from Florida Statute 790.162, which classifies threatening to throw, project, place, or discharge any destructive device with intent to cause bodily harm or property damage as a second-degree felony, punishable by up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine, per the statute. The student also faces a separate third-degree felony under Florida Statute 934.215, which makes using a two-way communication device to facilitate or further any felony offense its own charge, carrying penalties of up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine, according to a summary from Landsman Law.
A Campus Already Strained by Repeated Threats
River Ridge has been a recurring target this year. In February 2026, roughly 54 Pasco Sheriff's Office units responded to River Ridge Middle and High School after a false weapon report activated the school's active threat plan, forcing a controlled dismissal, according to WTSP. That scale of response reflects why the joint campus draws such heavy scrutiny: founded in 1991 in New Port Richey, River Ridge High School shares its campus, administrative space, cafeteria, and athletic facilities with River Ridge Middle School, making it the largest school facility in Pasco County, per Wikipedia.
Hoodline previously reported on an April bomb hoax that forced deputies to conduct room-by-room searches of the campus, and this is not the first time a River Ridge student has faced arrest over threats. In September 2024, the Pasco Sheriff's Office arrested a River Ridge High School student for posting online mass shooting threats directed at seven Pasco schools in an effort to get out of class, according to a post from the agency's Facebook page.
Part of a Wider September Crackdown
Thursday's arrest lands in the middle of an intense stretch of enforcement across the county. In September 2026 alone, the Pasco Sheriff's Office made multiple felony arrests of students for digital school threats across district campuses, including a 16-year-old at Sunlake High, a 16-year-old at Gulf High, and a 12-year-old at Crews Lake Middle School, Hoodline reported. The River Ridge case marks yet another entry in that count just days after Hoodline covered the arrest of a Sunlake High teen over an online threat.
Federal authorities have separately flagged the kind of dynamic investigators describe here — a local juvenile allegedly working with a remote actor. The FBI and federal authorities have warned of decentralized international online communities known as “The Com” and “764” that manipulate, extortionately coerce, or pay juveniles to solicit swatting calls, bomb threats, and self-harm across messaging platforms like Discord and Telegram, according to an FBI statement. The dossier does not indicate whether investigators have linked this specific case to either network.
Legal Exposure and What Comes Next
Beyond the two charges filed in this case, Florida's broader threat statutes carry similarly steep consequences for digital communications. Under Florida Statute 836.10, sending or transmitting an electronic communication that threatens a mass shooting or act of terrorism is a second-degree felony punishable by up to 15 years in prison, regardless of whether the sender actually possessed the intent or capability to execute the act, according to a legal summary from Hussein & Webber, PL.
The Pasco Sheriff's Office reiterated its standing guidance following the arrest, urging people to report threats and rumors immediately to law enforcement instead of sharing them, and calling on parents and guardians to speak with their children about the consequences of making threats. The agency, which describes itself as covering west central Florida, can be reached at its non-emergency line, (727) 847-8102, or through 911 for emergencies. That guidance echoes previous statements from the sheriff's office, which has repeatedly urged community members to report tips directly to law enforcement rather than sharing rumors on social media, as Hoodline has reported in past coverage of similar arrests.
