Virginia 11-year-old fined $46,000 for making bogus threats to Florida schools, sheriff says
Video above is from previous coverage on the case.
An 11-year-old boy in Virginia, accused of making several bogus threats towards schools in Florida earlier this year, has been placed in a high-risk program and ordered to pay nearly $50,000 in restitution, according to the Flagler County Sheriff's Office.
The Flagler County sheriff's office said the boy would undergo mental health treatment, counseling, and continued education as part of the program, which would likely last at least a year. He would then be allowed to return to Virginia under supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $46,234.33 to FCSO to cover the investigative costs.
He pleaded no contest to the charges, the sheriff's office said.
"Hopefully, today’s sentencing and in-custody treatment sets this young man on the right path, and he gets the help he needs," said Sheriff Rick Staly in a statement. "This kid terrorized our schools and the community for days at the end of last school year.
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Sheriff Rick Staley said the investigation began in May after a series of false bomb threats and shooting threats targeted Flagler County schools, costing the agencies thousands of dollars to investigate.
"The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office spent 168 patrol hours responding to schools investigating his false threats. Our Homeland Security and Investigations Section, Cyber Crimes and Criminal Intelligence Unit, and Digital Forensics Unit spent another 755 hours investigating this case and cracking the technology he was using to track this kid down and bring him back to Flagler County to face justice for his actions," he said.
Officials also found disturbing videos and internet searches on his computer, according to police records.