14-year-old accused of Knox County Snapchat school threat arrested

BARBOURVILLE, Ky. ( FOX 56 ) — A teenager has been arrested following a social media threat made against Knox County Schools.

The Knox County Sheriff’s Department (KCSD) said that around 10 p.m. on Monday screenshots of a “threatening message” began to circulate in the community.

In a joint investigation with Barbourville police, KCSD, and the FBI, authorities found that a 14-year-old male sent the threatening message over Snapchat.

Around 1:08 p.m. Tuesday, the teen was arrested and charged with first-degree terroristic threatening, per KCSD.

“These threats are being taken seriously and parents are urged to warn their children about the consequences of making threats, which are felony charges. Multiple school systems across the state and country are reporting similar threats against school systems,” the sheriff’s department said. “We ask that you assist us in keeping our students, teachers, and staff safe by letting the proper authorities know any time you have information related to the safety of the school community.”

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Knox County Sheriff Mike Smith emphasized that threats toward any school system are taken seriously and, “if found credible, will be fully prosecuted.”

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