A person is in custody in Franklin County, Missouri, accused of making a terrorist threat against a local school after a Facebook post warned, “Let's shoot people at school tomorrow.” The post triggered a scramble by investigators and prompted schools across the county to be placed in Secure Mode Wednesday while deputies worked to track down whoever was behind it.
According to fox2now.com, the Franklin County Sheriff's Office was notified of the threatening post and arrested one person Wednesday. A sheriff's office deputy reported that the social media post indicated a gun-violence threat toward a local school, according to Spectrum News. Law enforcement in the surrounding area were notified the same day, and schools were placed into Secure Mode out of precaution while the investigation unfolded.
Despite the complication of an alias account, investigators developed a person of interest fairly quickly. The station's report notes that a Flock camera identified the suspect's vehicle driving in Eureka, Missouri, giving authorities the break they needed to close in on a location.
Traffic Stop Ends the Search
A Sullivan police officer stopped the suspect's car, and the alleged suspect was taken into custody without incident, Spectrum News reported. Per the same account, the arrest came around 1:30 p.m. after the traffic stop, a detail also confirmed by First Alert 4, which reported that schools across Franklin County were in Secure Mode for much of Wednesday because of the threatening post.
The Franklin County Sheriff's Office is investigating the incident as a terrorist threat. Sheriff Steven Pelton said, “Currently, there is no threat to the community or schools,” per fox2now.com's reporting. The Meramec Valley R-III School District said schools were expected to dismiss as normal despite the Secure Mode status, the outlet added.
Sheriff's Office Credits Multi-Agency Response
The Franklin County Sheriff's Office thanked all law enforcement agencies and the school within the county for their partnership, according to Spectrum News, and said agencies must work together to keep children safe during incidents like this one. The FBI in St. Louis has previously told Spectrum News that it always catches those behind threats like this.
Under Missouri law, making a terrorist threat in the first degree is classified as a Class D felony, according to the Missouri Revisor of Statutes. The statute also notes that no offense is committed under that section by a person acting in good faith with the purpose of preventing harm.
Threats like the one that unfolded in Franklin County are far from rare nationally. The FBI's National Threat Operations Center receives thousands of tips every year involving threats of violence at schools, ranging from directed threats to cryptic social-media posts, according to the FBI. The bureau also released a special report titled Crime in Schools, 2020-2024 in August 2025, per a press release from the agency.
