On Saturday, the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office received a report from the parent of a seventh grader at Prescott Valley Charter School stating that his son had a video recording of another 12-year-old student making threats to “shoot-up” the school.
Deputies responded along with Prescott Valley Police Department officers to the reporting parent’s house and were able to verify the claim and see the video, which was recorded on the school bus ride home the previous day. The camera on the cellphone used to record the statement was covered, but the child stated he knew who the voice on the recording was and gave the name to the deputy.
Deputies were able to arrest the suspect student, who admitted to making the threat. However, the student stated he was coerced into making the threat by the reporting student.
“We need to drill into our kids that making any type of threat about school violence will always be taken seriously,” said Sheriff David Rhodes. “We don’t want to see children with these charges on their records however, we have zero tolerance for threats of school violence. This is the second seventh-grader in four months to make the same type of threat, which also resulted in arrest. Any threats of violence are intolerable and inexcusable.”
Both juveniles are in custody, facing charges of making a terrorist threat, and false reporting.