Threat written on Community House Middle School desk leads to juvenile arrest

A threat written on a desk at Community House Middle School last week resulted in a juvenile being arrested, the second such incident in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in the wake of the Feb. 14 school shooting in Parkland, Fla.

“CMS and law enforcement will pursue maximum punishment under criminal law and the student code of conduct,” Principal Jamie Brooks said in a notice to families. “I want to be clear with everyone – threats of any kind, even casual, non-specific or those passed off as jokes, will be investigated and prosecuted aggressively.”

Charlotte-Mecklenburg police had reported two threats at the middle school in south Charlotte last week. In one, reported Wednesday morning, a student made a threat “involving shooting a school bus,” a CMPD news release said. On Wednesday night someone reported a Snapchat message “that threatened the students at Community Middle House School.”

Police said Monday that a 13-year-old male has been charged in connection with the Community House threat, but it was not immediately clear whether he is believed to be responsible for one or both incidents.

Also last week a 14-year-old student was charged with making a threat against Southwest Middle School on Snapchat.

Bomb threats and other menacing messages at schools seldom result in actual violence or media coverage, but in the wake of the high school shooting that killed 17 people tensions have been high. Immediately after the shooting the district and CMPD investigated a handful of other rumors about school threats but found no substance to them.

CMS generally notifies families if there is a threat to students.

This story was originally published March 5, 2018 at 1:47 PM with the headline "Threat written on Community House Middle School desk leads to juvenile arrest."