ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST PARISH, La. — Authorities say a 13-year-old girl is in custody after allegedly making threats of school shootings at several St. John the Baptist Parish Schools, prompting extra law enforcement presence at those campuses this week.
Sheriff Mike Tregre said the 13-year-old girl, a student of the parish's public school system, was arrested on Wednesday and booked on two counts of principal to terrorizing.
Investigators say they were alerted by school officials on Saturday, April 30, of images circulating on social media with threats of school shootings at East St. John Elementary, East St. John Preparatory Academy and East St. John High School. Tregre said detectives, along with state and federal authorities, were able to identify a 13-year-old in connection with the threats.
The threats prompted added security and law enforcement personnel at the school between Monday and Wednesday.
“I want to reassure the community that we work closely with St. John Parish Public Schools District to ensure the safety of students and faculty,” Tregre said. “When we learned of these threats, we immediately partnered with local, state, and federal law enforcement officials to fully investigate these threats.”
The sheriff added that making a threat to schools will result in criminal charges, including a terrorizing charge that "will be on your record for the rest of your life." He also asked parents and students to never share images or rumors of threats on social media and instead report them to authorities.
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