MONROE COUNTY — Authorities have arrested a juvenile believed to be responsible for a threat against Hamilton Schools.
Monroe County Sheriff Cecil Cantrell told The Dispatch on Wednesday afternoon that the suspect — who is not being identified — threatened to “shoot up” the school.
The sheriff said the suspect threatened to “shoot up” the school with assault rifles, “killing the kids and teachers.”
The threat appears to have been posted on a social media site Tuesday evening, according to Brian Jernigan, deputy superintendent with the Monroe County School District. The district became aware of it Wednesday morning. The district then made the decision to dismiss all of its schools — Hatley Attendance Center, Monroe County Career Technical Education Center, Monroe County Advanced Learning Center, Smithville Attendance Center and Hamilton Schools — at noon Wednesday.
Jernigan said the district’s first priority is the safety of students, staff and faculty.
“We have submitted all the information to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Department,” Jernigan said. “With the sheriff’s department and our school administrators, we felt it was best to release school early as an investigation is pending.”
Cantrell said the suspect does not attend Hamilton School and Monroe County Sheriff’s Department was working to determine what charges the suspect might face. Cantrell said federal offense were possible. The suspect remains in the Monroe County jail.
“We’re going to bring charges against him, but at this point what we’ve got against him is a threat against the school,” the sheriff said. “You can get into some federal laws also. It’s just not one thing — it could be several.”
Classes are back on their normal schedule.
Alex Holloway was formerly a reporter with The Dispatch.
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