Georgetown County 12-year-old admits sending photo of gun, tells judge he was being bullied, deputies say

GEORGETOWN COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — A 12-year-old Carvers Bay Middle School student who recently sent a photo of a gun admitted to making the threats and told a judge he overreacted because he was being bullied in school, the Georgetown County Sheriff’s Office said.

The student had a hearing on Thursday in Georgetown County Family Court and was allowed to return home under the supervision of the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice before his sentencing.

Judge Melissa Buchanan ordered a community evaluation for the 12-year-old after he sent text messages threatening to shoot his classmates on Monday, the sheriff’s office said. The texts contained a photo of him displaying a gun with a high-capacity magazine.

The state recommended he remained in custody for a secure evaluation at the Department of Juvenile Justice in Columbia before sentencing, but Buchanan denied it, according to the sheriff’s office. Buchanan ordered his psychiatric evaluation, adherence to the rules of his supervision and continuing education be based from home under DJJ supervision.

Georgetown County deputies retained the gun, which was surrendered by the boy’s mother.

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Caleb is a digital producer at News13. Caleb joined the team in January 2023 after graduating from Liberty University. He is from Northern Virginia. Follow Caleb on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of his work here .

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