An 11-year-old Indian Trails Middle School student is facing a felony charge after deputies say he borrowed a classmate's phone to call his mother — then used it to send another student a text threatening to stab them. The Flagler County Sheriff's Office says the threat followed an after-school altercation between the two students on Tuesday, October 13.
According to investigators cited by WKMG ClickOrlando, the two 11-year-olds got into an altercation after school that day. Reporting from FlaglerLive adds further detail, describing the fight as a mutual, agreed-upon scuffle the pair had arranged to have after classes let out. Once it was over, the suspect reportedly borrowed a third student's phone under the pretense of needing to call his mother, then used that same phone to send the threatening message instead.
The student's parent reported the threat to a school resource deputy on Wednesday, October 14, prompting deputies to open an investigation into the reported threat that same day, per the Sheriff's Office account relayed by WKMG ClickOrlando. When a deputy went to interview the suspect at home, FlaglerLive reports that the boy's mother was not present to give consent, forcing deputies to return to the residence a second time before the interview could proceed.
Suspect Admitted Sending the Message, Deputies Say
Once the interview with the boy and his mother took place, FlaglerLive reports the 11-year-old admitted to the fight, to calling his mother, and to sending the message threatening to stab his classmate. He now faces a charge of written or electronic threats to kill or do bodily harm, according to the Flagler County Sheriff's Office. His identity has been withheld because of his age.
Under Florida Statute § 836.10, that charge is classified as a second-degree felony, carrying maximum penalties for adults of up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine, according to Online Sunshine. Florida law does not require prosecutors to prove the accused had the actual intent or ability to carry out the threat.
Following his arrest, the student was taken to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility for processing before being transferred to the Volusia Family Resource Center and turned over to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, per the Sheriff's Office account and confirmed by the Palm Coast Observer, which notes the Volusia center serves as a regional juvenile assessment hub.
A Pattern of Threats at the Same Middle School
This is not the first threat-related arrest to hit Indian Trails Middle School this year. In February, an 11-year-old female student was arrested for writing a school shooting threat on a bathroom wall, telling deputies she did it because of an online dare and out of boredom, according to Observer Local News. Days later, a 13-year-old boy was arrested for sending Snapchat messages threatening to shoot up the same school alongside photos of firearms — the second threat against Indian Trails within a single week, per FOX 35 Orlando.
Other Flagler County cases echo the same pattern of preteens sending threats through borrowed devices or social apps after personal disputes. In September 2024, deputies arrested a 12-year-old homeschooled girl who sent a text threatening to kill a student with a “big knife” if he didn't get back together with her, WFTV reported at the time. More recently, in July, deputies arrested a 13-year-old boy for sending Instagram messages and photos of himself holding a handgun, warning another teen he was coming to his home to fight, according to the Flagler County Sheriff's Office.
Sheriff and Superintendent Renew Zero-Tolerance Message
Sheriff Rick Staly said the Sheriff's Office takes all threats seriously and investigates them thoroughly, adding that deputies will keep schools safe from threats. Staly and Flagler Schools Superintendent LaShakia Moore urged families to report threats promptly and to talk with their children about resolving conflicts safely.
Staly has repeatedly pressed parents to “be the Sheriff of your home” and monitor their children's digital activity, maintaining a zero-tolerance policy in which claiming a threat was a “joke” or a “dare” does not prevent a felony arrest. That messaging has carried through a string of Flagler County cases this year, including a Palm Coast teen arrested earlier this month for allegedly faking school shooting threats through the state's FortifyFL reporting app, as Hoodline previously reported.
Threats can be reported to the Flagler County Sheriff's Office at (386) 313-4911, to a school resource deputy or staff member, or through the FortifyFL app, which the Florida Legislature created under the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act to let students and parents anonymously flag suspicious activity to schools and law enforcement.
