DA: Four students charged in separate school threats in Morgan & Roane counties

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — Four students have been charged in Morgan and Roane counties amid a rash of reported school threats across East Tennessee .

9th District Attorney General Russell Johnson issued a three-page release on Thursday giving a comprehensive update on the status of school threats in Roane, Loudon, Morgan and Meigs Counties. Johnson said between Wednesday and 1:30 p.m. on Thursday, three students had been charged for making verbal statements about threats, and one student had been charged with making a false report.

According to Johnson, one of the students charged was a Wartburg Elementary Student charged on Wednesday with making a verbal threat in the classroom toward the elementary school. The case is being investigated by the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office.

Also on Wednesday, a Roane County High School student was charged with making a threat towards the high school. Johnson said the student was detained and is being held at the Knox County Juvenile Detention Center, and will most likely remain in custody until a hearing is held. The case is being investigated by the Roane County Sheriff’s Office.

On Thursday, a Cherokee Middle School student was charged and taken into custody for making statements about a threat, Johnson said. He added that another student at the school was charged on Thursday in relation to a “false report” incident that happened earlier in the week and could have led to an emergency response to Cherokee Middle School. The Roane County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the false report case.

“Obviously, school shootings are the most horrific outcomes of threats, so that is why these are being treated by the DA’s office and law enforcement as sincere and real. The goal of the investigation is to first evaluate the credibility and sincerity of the threat before charges are brought. Once charges are filed in the juvenile courts, the charged juveniles are entitled to due process of law. They are afforded additional privacy considerations during the investigation and throughout the juvenile court process. Parents and their children should know that these charges can lead to life altering consequences for those making the threats, so we tread carefully before bringing criminal charges against any juvenile,” Johnson wrote.

According to Johnson, juveniles charged with such crimes can and sometimes do face immediate incarceration. Additionally, they may also require mental health evaluations and assessments through the Tennessee Resiliency Project at the Hellen Ross McNabb Center to address mental health and substance abuse concerns.

In his release, Johnson stated that many counties are still receiving and investigating “threats,” and the vast majority are unfounded and made to cause disruption, confusion and chaos. He said authorities in Morgan, Loudon and Roane counties have seen ‘copycat’ threats, mostly from out of state.

“We are doing all we can to address what is a reaction that is hard to understand. These types of actions and reactions are far more serious than the old days of kids pulling fire alarms to cause disruption and to get out of class or school. These threats are far more harmful and potentially deadly. Parents, please talk to your children about these issues and be patient with law enforcement and the process. The Director of Schools especially requested that you make your children aware that if they see, hear, or read about a threat – have them share it with a schoolteacher or administrator. Do not spread it on social media or text messages to exacerbate the disruption, share it with the people in charge of the classroom or school,” Johnson wrote.

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