11-year-old Florida student arrested after sending threatening texts to 'assassinate' classmates: deputies
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BUNNELL, Fla. - An 11-year-old Florida student was arrested after he allegedly sent text messages threatening to "assassinate" his classmates, according to the Flagler County Sheriff's Office.
The student, a sixth-grader at Indian Trails Middle School, was arrested Thursday after a student and their parent reported the text messages to deputies, according to a press release. In the texts, the student allegedly threatened to kill fellow students. The exact content of the messages was not made available at this time.
Deputies caught up with the student at a family member's house where he was placed under arrest and charged for written threats to kill or do bodily harm. He was transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility before he was turned over to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, deputies said.
"Even though kids may think that making threats to kill or harm others is just a joke, it is not under Florida law, and we will take it seriously every time," Sheriff Rick Staly said in a statement. "Parents need to be the Sheriff in their homes and ensure that their children make smart decisions. Teach them the proper way to handle disagreements. Florida law is very clear. Making a threat to kill will get you arrested every time. Thank you to the student who alerted their parent and then alerted the Sheriff’s Office."
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The boy allegedly commented on an Instagram post from the sheriff's office discouraging students from making school threats online.
Deputies also issued a recommendation to parents in the wake of this incident.
"The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office urges parents to talk to their children about the consequences of sending threats to commit violence," they said. "While we don’t want to arrest your child, especially an 11-year-old, but the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office will arrest anyone who threatens to commit a violent act."