Sheriff bemoans uptick in school threats in Oakland County just weeks after classes began
PONTIAC, Mich. (FOX 2) - Kids went back to class only a few weeks ago and the Oakland County sheriff is already fielding calls about students making threats of violence, a disturbing beginning to the school year.
So far, the sheriff's office says it has investigated several incidents, including in Pontiac, Independence Township, Orion Township, and most recently in South Lyon.
"It's numbing to think that people are still saying things," said Sheriff Michael Bouchard. "Even if they don't intend to carry it out, it's a crime and will be investigated and subject to any and all appropriate penalties."
For a county already scarred by Michigan's worst mass shooting in 2021, reports of threats made towards students and schools take on an elevated sense of urgency. That includes a threat in a chat that someone was going to shoot up the school, prompting an investigation into the dialogue.
Sheriff's deputies determined that while weapons were inside the home, they were not accessible to the individual. As they dug further, more messages containing threats were uncovered.
Now, three 16-year-old juveniles are in custody and have been charged. Two will be arraigned with making a threat of terrorism while the third is charged with making an intentional threat to commit violence against a school.
According to the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office, 10 students received the messages before they were brought to a teacher.
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During the investigation into the Orion Township tip, police found the individual had written that despite being treated badly while in school, they were "proud" they never turned to violence.
"It's gotta stop. People need to talk to their kids and they need to share information, which is the other key message I want to pass on," Bouchard said. "We don't know what's being posted or said often times unless people share it."
The sheriff convened a press conference Wednesday afternoon to remind people about the seriousness of making threats - real or not - as well as implore parents to keep an eye on if their child's behavior changes.
The tips about threats to schools have come from a variety of places, including the Ok2Say student safety program that allows individuals to anonymously report concerning statements.
When police receive a tip, they work to track down the veracity of the statements and if the individual has access to weapons.
In the aftermath of the Oxford High School shooting, Michigan was hit with a barrage of copycat threats from around the state. Some of those threats were traced all the way to England where Bouchard said a man was prosecuted.
Questions about the trend picking up again following a shooting in Georgia after a teen opened fire at a high school were posed on Wednesday. Bouchard didn't believe the latest threats correlated to last week's shooting.
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McDonald was the prosecutor in the case resulting from the Oxford High School shooting where she was successful in charging and convicting the parents, after their son pleaded guilty.