Which schools received threats in the Tri-Cities?

ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. (WJHL) — Over the last two days, multiple schools in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia have received threats over social media.

School districts and law enforcement agencies across the Tri-Cities region have released information regarding the multitude of circulating threats. In most cases, either the authorities or school administrators have declared the threats to not be credible after investigating.

At least one juvenile has been arrested in the region connected to school threats, and one high school briefly entered a precautionary lockdown on Thursday morning. The rash of school threats comes roughly one week after a shooting at Apalachee High School in Georgia, which resulted in the deaths of two students and two teachers and left nine other people injured.

Below is available information from police and school districts in Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia.

Northeast Tennessee

Carter County – Around 11 p.m. Wednesday , Carter County Schools announced that it was aware of a social media post that included a threat to one of the district’s schools and was working with local law enforcement. Carter County Schools stated it would have enhanced security measures in place at all schools on Thursday and was treating the threat with the utmost seriousness.

The Carter County Sheriff’s Office issued its own statement on Thursday afternoon saying that after investigating the threats, no local connection was found and the threats appeared to be both old and from out of the state. The sheriff’s office stated the threats were not credible and have been previously circulated.

Elizabethton – On Thursday morning , Elizabethton Police Chief Jason Shaw issued a statement, saying the police department was aware of a social media threat from the “YourNext” social media post. Shaw stated that investigators worked through the night and found that the photo in question is about two years old, comes from out of the area and has been circulated before. Additionally, the post comes from an out-of-state IP address with no local connection found.

Hawkins County – Hawkins County Schools informed parents that it had received social media threats on Wednesday evening and was working with the Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office and the Rogersville Police Department. The Hawkins County Sheriff’s Office later reported that it had located a person of interest and additional law enforcement would be at schools on Thursday.

At 9:10 a.m. Thursday, Hawkins County Schools posted saying that the suspect who is believed to be responsible for threats against both Hawkins County Schools and Rogersville City School had been arrested and was in court that morning.

Volunteer High School entered a “Green Lockdown” for less than an hour Thursday morning out of precaution while law enforcement responded to a rumor, according to the school district. Hawkins County Schools said class schedules were not affected, as Green Lockdown keeps students in classes and closes the exterior of the school.

Johnson City – Around 6:20 p.m. on Wednesday, Johnson City Schools sent a message to parents and guardians of students, stating that the school district was aware of an online threat that was circulating. The “hit list” reportedly contained the names of several schools in multiple states. The message stated that Johnson City Schools had worked with the Department of Homeland Security and the Johnson City Police Department, who determined no Johnson City Schools were on the list and there was no credible evidence of any threats.

Kingsport – John Sevier Middle School received a threat over social media on Wednesday morning. Assistant Superintendent Andy True told News Channel 11 Wednesday that the school district worked with the Kingsport Police Department and found the threat was not credible. True said Kingsport City Schools has structures in place to provide school counselors to any student who needs one.

Rogersville – Shortly after 10:30 p.m. Wednesday, Rogersville City School posted on its Facebook page that the Rogersville Police Department had located a person of interest regarding social media threats the school had received earlier that evening. At 5:27 a.m. Thursday, the school announced a person was in custody for making the social media threat. Additional Rogersville police officers were present at the school Thursday.

Sullivan County – The Sullivan County Sheriff’s Office issued a news release on Thursday stating it had been informed of social media threats against schools in Sullivan County and in neighboring jurisdictions. The sheriff’s office reports it investigated the threats and found them to not be credible. The sheriff’s office asked that if anyone ever discovers a threat to contact law enforcement rather than share them and cause panic.

Southwest Virginia

Washington County – A juvenile suspect was charged with four counts of threats of death or serious injury at a school on Wednesday, according to the Washington County Virginia Sheriff’s Office. The sheriff’s office reported the social media posts tied to the threats included aerial views of four local schools with “disturbing sound effects.” While the post was investigated, the sheriff’s office, Virginia State Police and the Abingdon Police Department assisted with extra patrols at the schools in the county.

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