Authorities found no threat at Franklinton High School after a report of a possible active shooter prompted a lockdown Monday. Students and staff were safe, and no injuries were reported, according to WNCT and ABC11.
Franklin County Sheriff Kevin White said the call came in at 10:23 a.m. Deputies, Franklinton police and State Bureau of Investigation agents responded; White said deputies would stay through the day to help students leave safely, and authorities asked the public to stay away while buildings were cleared, WRAL reported. The district notified parents about dismissal procedures, according to ABC11. Officials have not disclosed who made the report. White said his office would investigate its origin, WRAL reported.
What the law and past cases show
North Carolina law makes it a Class H felony to report that mass violence will occur on educational property while knowing or having reason to know the report is false. A court may also order restitution for costs and consequential damages caused by disruption, according to the North Carolina General Assembly. Authorities have not said whether the statute applies to the Franklinton report.
The FBI says schools are among the locations often targeted in swatting incidents. Separately, the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center reported seeing a shift toward swatting incidents targeting public institutions, including schools; that national observation does not establish that the Franklinton report was swatting or part of a coordinated effort, according to the FBI and its Internet Crime Complaint Center.
A separate Minnesota case illustrates that false threats and swatting calls can lead to criminal penalties, but it is not evidence about the Franklinton caller. The FBI reported that Zachary Lee Morgenstern pleaded guilty on August 7, 2015, to offenses involving multiple false threats and swatting calls and was sentenced to 41 months in prison; unlike in Franklinton, the defendant was identified and the case involved multiple incidents, the FBI said.
