Shooting threat followed by bomb threat on Friday in Augusta County Public Schools

There were two separate security threats in Augusta County Public Schools Friday.

According to press releases from Augusta County Sheriff's Office, information was received early Friday morning that a student was threatening to shoot up an unnamed Augusta County school. The News Leader has reached out to the sheriff's office asking the name of the school or a reason why the department isn't releasing it. As of Saturday morning the sheriff's office has not responded. The threat was received at 5:51 a.m. Friday.

"Parents deserve to know what school because there is a possibility this kid could end up back in said school, if the justice system doesn’t do its due diligence to ensure that they don’t," Layne Welch commented on the Augusta County Sheriff's Office Facebook page.

"I have 2 children in acps and I'd like to know which school was a threat," Sarah Johnson posted on the same page. "The parents should've been notified earlier."

The second incident, in which the school was named, was reported at 2:17 p.m. Friday afternoon. School administration at Fort Defiance High School were notified about a student who said that there was a bomb, according to law enforcement. The administration immediately notified the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office, located the student that made the threat, and an investigation was launched.

"At the conclusion of this afternoon’s investigation and threat assessment, it was determined that there was no direct, immediate, or substantiated threat to FDHS, its students, or staff," the press release said.

The student was taken into custody, and has been charged with felony threats to bomb or damage a building.

“This investigation was handled very quickly, and the student was taken into custody without incident,” said Sheriff Donald Smith in the release.

In the first incident, the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office received information through social media "that a student was threatening to shoot up an Augusta County school."

The sheriff's office said it started an investigation into the content of the threatening messages.

"Deputies responded to the student’s address and spoke with the suspect about the threatening messages," per the release. "The juvenile suspect was taken into custody, and charged with felony threats of death or bodily Injury."

The sheriff's office said the student was taken into custody prior to the buses running their routes in the immediate area Friday morning.

"The juvenile was taken to The Shenandoah Valley Juvenile Detention Center," per the release.

Smith said it was an isolated incident.

The sheriff's office and Augusta County Public Schools remind parents to please monitor, educate, and counsel their children about social media. Students and young adults may think these types of threats are funny, jokes, or used to seek attention. However, the ACSO and School Administrators need parents to understand and explain that these threats have serious consequences.

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— Patrick Hite is a reporter at The News Leader. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Connect with Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and on Instagram @hitepatrick . Subscribe to us at newsleader.com

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Shooting threat followed by bomb threat on Friday in Augusta County Public Schools