Words have consequences: What we can VERIFY about recent school threats

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Following a week in which law enforcement officials dealt with a swath of unfounded social media threats and incidents in which children were threatening fellow students or teachers over text messages and even school bus chatter, school and public safety leaders want kids to understand that their so-called "pranks" and threats can cause them serious trouble - not just in the moment, but for years to come.

THE QUESTION

Can children really face charges for making threats against schools, students, and staff members, even if they did not intend to follow through with their threats?

OUR SOURCES

Limestone and Morgan County Sheriff's Offices

Alabama Criminal Code

THE ANSWER

Yes, minors can be arrested and face felony charges for making terroristic threats, regardless of actual intent.

WHAT WE FOUND

Alabama Code Title 13A, as described on FindLaw, makes heavy use of the term "credible threat." While many threats wind up being deemed not credible by law enforcement, it is the basis of "an objective evaluation" for which a threat can be considered terroristic.

In many cases, a text message or social media post that prompts school officials to take on more school resource officers (SROs), trigger a heightened alert status, or lockdown a campus, has succeeded in disrupting normal operations, one of the criteria for charges of making a terroristic threat.

Even in the recent case of a Limestone County student who verbally said he would commit acts of violence against staff members while talking to another student on the bus, what they said qualified as a terroristic threat.

While it is unknown if that student truly intended to make good on their threat, officials with Limestone County Sheriff's Office said they will pursue charges against that student. Sheriff Joshua McLaughlin says that his department has a team dedicated to monitoring and investigating social media claims. 

"These individuals have devoted considerable time and effort to ensuring the safety of our students by thoroughly investigating these threats, many of which were found to be spam threats spread on social media, particularly Snapchat, with the intent to cause panic," he said. "They have successfully identified and managed local threats while also thoroughly analyzing external threats from other locations and determining them to be baseless."

In Morgan County, officials said they were aware of social media posts targeting several school campuses across the region. "When we determine the source and locate those involved we will prosecute," the sheriff's office said.

Making a terroristic threat is considered a Class-C felony in Alabama. Those found guilty could be sentenced to between 1-10 years prison time, or an equivalent amount of time at a juvenile facility in the case of minors. 

Additionally, law enforcement wants you to remember that if you see a threat on social media to report it to the authorities and not to share it. Serious or not, a threat that goes viral "adds fuel to the fire," they say.