Osceola County middle school students arrested for making 'stab' list of classmates
KISSIMMEE, Fla. (FOX 35 ORLANDO) - Two Osceola County students are in custody after detectives said the Horizon Middle School students wrote down a “stab” list with several students’ names on it and a “safe” list.
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office said the students claimed it was all a joke, but deputies are not laughing.
On Tuesday, an investigation began after several Horizon Middle School students said another student approached them saying that they would “safe.”
Investigators said they discovered that two students had a conversation about possibly carrying out a shooting at the school. They said there was talk about sneaking a gun into the school and shooting students as well as stabbing them.
RELATED: Suspect extradited back to Florida after wife, four children found dead in Georgia
Officials said both students admitted to creating the “safe” and “stab” lists adding that they were just joking.
The Florida Department of Juvenile Justice announced a new campaign this week called, “It’s No Joke,” to discourage students from making school threats, because doing so can lead to being arrested and charged with a felony.
Both students were charged with making written threats to kill or conduct a mass shooting and were booked into the Juvenile Detention Center in Orlando.
The sheriff’s office said that they take these threats seriously and encourage anyone who has information about these crimes to call law enforcement.
The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office can be reached at 407-348-2222 or Crimeline at 1-800-423-TIPS (8477). Information leading to an arrest may be eligible for a reward up to $1,000.
According to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, the number of Florida youth charged with school threat related offenses has risen steadily in the last three years.
In Fiscal Year 2016-2017, 629 youth were charged with school threat related offenses, followed by 687 youth in Fiscal Year 2017-2018, and 779 youth in Fiscal Year 2018-2019.
Youth, parents, and teachers are also encouraged to report any and all threats they see or hear. They can notify law enforcement of a threat or can report a threat anonymously through Florida’s FortifyFL app, a suspicious activity reporting tool that allows you to instantly relay information to appropriate law enforcement agencies and school officials.