HAINES CITY, Fla. — A 15-year-old student was arrested on Thursday after making a false bomb threat at Ridge Community High School, according to the Haines City Police Department.
Police responded to the high school at 8:02 a.m. and immediately initiated safety protocols for students and faculty while they investigated the validity of the threat.
The Polk County Sheriff's Office and the Davenport Police Department responded to assist while the campus was placed on "heightened alert."
Police say the threat was sent via email to the principal of Ridge Community High School and indicated that bombs had been placed in multiple buildings on campus.
Law enforcement officers evacuated the school and searched for any explosive devices while investigators worked to identify where the threat came from.
Investigators say they traced the threat to a school-owned laptop issued to a 15-year-old student. According to detectives, the teen illegally used another student's login credentials to make it appear as if the threat email was sent by the innocent student.
After the 15-year-old was identified and interviewed, he reportedly confessed to sending the threat. He was arrested and faces four felonies and one misdemeanor charge:
- False report concerning planting a bomb, an explosive, or a weapon of mass destruction
- Use of a two-way communication device to commit a felony
- Unauthorized access to a computer or network
- Written or electronic threats to kill
- Disrupting a school function
No explosive devices were found on campus, and students were allowed to return to class.
"Today's reckless threat drew heavily on city resources, diverting our first responders from their duties of protecting and serving other parts of our community. It not only disrupted our children's education, but also exposed them and our emergency personnel to unnecessary risk," Haines City Police Chief Greg Goreck said. "I am immensely proud of the prompt action taken by our officers, the Polk County School Board, the Davenport Police Department and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office. Let this serve as a clear warning: we treat every threat with utmost seriousness, and the consequences for such actions are severe."
