Three students in Blount County arrested over alleged school threats

MARYVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The Blount County Sheriff’s Office on Thursday announced the arrest of three students in connection to reported school threats.

Local authorities on Wednesday began investigating after receiving multiple reports regarding social media posts purportedly threatening violence at Union Grove Middle School. A 12 year-old male student at Union Grove Middle School and a 15-year-old female student at William Blount High School were arrested in connection to the alleged threats.

In a separate investigation, a 15-year-old male student at Heritage High School was arrested by a school resource officer after he allegedly threatened Heritage High School.

All three students were charged with threatening to commit an act of mass violence on school property by a delinquent, a Class E felony.

According to Blount County Sheriff James Lee Berrong, deputies have received multiple tips about various threats of mass violence posted to social media. Many of these threats were determined to have been posted from out-of-state and by individuals who have no connection to Blount County. These posts were investigated but could not be specifically attributed to anyone.

“These threats of violence on school property being made by our young people is very serious,” Berrong said. “What these students are doing is criminal. It ties up resources and causes a severe disruption in the schools. It isn’t funny and it isn’t cool, and the consequences once the perpetrator is caught can be life-altering for the student and their families. I am begging parents and guardians to keep a close eye on what your child is posting to social media. Monitor the social media platforms they are using. It’s okay to not allow your child privacy on these platforms.”

Many school districts around East Tennessee have been disrupted this week by reports of school threats shared on social media. Students have been arrested in Knox , Blount, Roane, and Morgan counties.

Attendance at Knox County Schools dropped 25 percent on Wednesday to 68.3 percent. A school spokesperson said that attendance rebounded to 92.4 percent on Thursday.

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