Juvenile suspect identified in Three Rivers schools threat

THREE RIVERS, Mich. (WOOD) — Investigators say they have identified a juvenile suspect after an online threat prompted Three Rivers Community Schools to close Thursday.

People started reporting the threat made on Snapchat to authorities Wednesday evening, the St. Joseph County Sheriff’s Office said, and decided along with the school district to cancel Thursday classes “out of an abundance of caution.”

“TRCS takes this information seriously and the safety of our school community is important,” the district wrote in a Wednesday email to families.

The sheriff’s office said Three Rivers police officers identified a suspect who lives outside the city and the juvenile’s mother brought him in to the sheriff’s office. Investigators said the case would be forwarded to the prosecutor’s office for a decision on what, if any, charges were appropriate.

“At this time, there is no credible threat to Three Rivers Community Schools,” the sheriff’s office said Thursday morning.

Three Rivers Superintendent Nikki Nash posted on the district’s Facebook page that because authorities had found a suspect, athletic events would go on as scheduled Thursday and school was set to resume Friday.

Nash praised “students, staff and families” for “swift and effective communication regarding the recent threat,” going on to say that the “prompt reporting to school administration enabled us to take immediate action.”

The sheriff’s office echoed gratitude for quick reports of the threat, and went on to urge parents to “speak with their children about the seriousness and consequences of these types of threats.”

The closure came just three days after Byron Center Public Schools closed for a day over rumors of a threat. Police later found that was unfounded.

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