C.J. Gish
The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office (ASCO) is investigating a Hawthorne Middle High School student that allegedly made threatening comments on social media.
According to ACSO spokesperson Capt. Kaley Behl, a report came in Tuesday morning about a 14-year-old student who allegedly had a gun and a hit list that social media exacerbated.
“A lot of what was put out there is not factual and the school board is aware of it,” Behl said in a phone interview. “They are looking into it with the school resource deputy.”
Behl said that what has been going on social media is not an accurate depiction of what is going on or being said,
“(The student) was involved in a Snapchat message where he may have made some threatening statements and it got forwarded around,” Behl said. “The messages were blown out of proportion.”
The ACSO will continue to investigate, but at this time no charges will be filed.
An email was sent to Hawthorne families by Hawthorne Middle High School Principal Ginger Stanford that said:
Hi Hornet Families.
Today we had a report of a suspicious activity concerning a student’s safety. This was handled quickly and a full investigation was done. We appreciate students who brought their concerns that they learned about this morning to an adult and reported what they were hearing. Their swift action helped us ensure a safe environment for all. As the Administration completed the investigation, we realize that this is a great time to remind parents, guardians, and students to always report any concerns to the school Administration or to the local Sheriff’s office for the safety of all students and staff.
There is also an option to report using the school’s webpage and clicking on Fortify.