Safford Police have arrested a Safford High School female student in connection with a recent cyberbullying case.
Safford Police investigators and the School Resource officer conducted the investigation which ended in the arrest of the student. The suspect juvenile, whose name is withheld, was booked into the Graham County Juvenile Holding Center with the following charges; making a terrorist threat; false reporting of terrorism, use of an electronic communication to terrify, intimidate, threaten, or harass, interference with or disruption of an educational institution. Additional charges may follow as the investigation continues.
According to the Safford Police Department, authorities became aware of the inappropriate messages on October 23. Specifically, numerous threatening and harassing snapchat messages, that included statements that the female victim should commit suicide, that the female victim would be killed, that her house would be burned down, as well as threats of violence at school.
Investigators found no evidence against Carley Ayala, who appeared to be sending the messages. It was later learned that her password to snapchat was being used by the suspect. Police questioned Carley, and she submitted to taking a lie detector test, which she passed. She released her phone to the investigators to conduct a forensic evaluation. Nothing incriminating was found. The FBI was consulted to insure nothing had been missed.
The School Resource officer, along with Safford Police detectives contacted Snapchat and Cable One. Snapchat and Cable One required subpoenas, emergency orders, preservation orders or warrants for each piece of information. The last piece of information was received from Snapchat on November 8. According to Police, the “final piece of information brought the case together, allowing our School Resource officer and detective to positively identify the suspect, who was the person who initially appeared to be the victim of the case. The suspect was contacted at the high school and was placed under arrest. Her phone was seized and she was interviewed. The suspect confessed to sending all of the inappropriate/threatening snapchat messages, apparently for attention.”
“This case generated a great deal of negative banter on social media, much of which was directed at an innocent young woman, Carley Ayala, which was completely undeserved,” Safford Police noted in the public statement on Facebook. “The Graham County Sheriff’s Office and Safford Police Department will be investigating abuses of the social media by other users that included threats and harassment of Ms. Ayala. We were very disappointed at the reaction many people displayed on Facebook and other social media. A substantial number of people posted statements that were bullying — ironically when they were attempting to speak out against a bullying incident!”
Authorities commended the Safford Unified School District Staff “for providing their faith, trust and assistance which resulted in a successful investigation leading to the arrest of the responsible person.”