11 and 12-year-old accused of making threats against schools in North Carolina

NORTH CAROLINA ( QUEEN CITY NEWS ) – Authorities announced Tuesday two juveniles have been identified in connection to threats posted on social media against multiple NC schools.

Authorities in Gaston County said an 11-year-old child has been identified and arrested. In Cleveland County, a 12-year-old child will be charged.

According to the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office, they were made aware of several photos circulating social media of a person holding a firearm and making threats toward schools.

“We began to investigate immediately and were able to develop a potential suspect through an Instagram account,” the sheriff’s office said. “The investigation led to a physical address in Cleveland County where the suspect was found to be a juvenile.”

The sheriff’s office said it appears that the threats that were made were to avoid attending school, and not to carry out a physical act of violence.

Additional deputies were placed across Cleveland County campuses on Tuesday in response to the online threats. Authorities are still following leads to determine if others are involved.

“We would like to emphasize that all threats of this nature are taken seriously and investigated to the fullest,” the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office said.

The juvenile suspect will be processed by the Department of Juvenile Justice and continued through the juvenile court proceedings, the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office said.

In Gaston County, authorities said they arrested an 11-year-old child in connection with the threats posted on social media involving several local schools.

During their investigation, the 11-year-old admitted to posting the threats on social media. Gaston County Police said the child will be charged with multiple counts of Communicating Threats of Mass Violence on Educational Property.

Several agencies assisted including Gaston County Schools, Lowell Police, Cramerton Police, the Gaston County District Attorney’s Office, and NC SBI.

The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office also released a statement on Tuesday, saying several departments were aware of the threats that mentioned multiple schools.

“The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office is aware of recent social media posts suggesting threats of school shootings. These posts name a large number of schools across multiple counties. We are thoroughly investigating the posts and coordinating closely with the Cleveland County Sheriff’s Office and Gaston County Police Department. To ensure safety, we will be enhancing our presence at local schools and handling this situation with the highest level of seriousness.”

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