RCSD: Spring Valley student arrested in school threats

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WIS) -

A 15-year-old student is facing charges after being arrested Thursday.

Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said a Spring Valley student was arrested in connection to threats issued to Midland schools. Investigators believe all threats involved were a hoax and were intended to disrupt schools.

The teen has been charged with threating to use a destructive device, conveying false information regarding attempted use of a destructive device, student threats and disturbing schools.

Lott said the suspect is booked into the juvenile wing of Alvin S Glenn Detention Center.

“We take these cases very seriously, and individuals involved will be charged and taken to jail,” said Lott.

“We are working closely with Lexington authorities to identify individuals involved on their school threats as well. This should serve as a warning to anyone else that wants to make threats that when we identify you, and we will, you will be charged and taken to jail.”

PREVIOUS COVERAGE

Multiple schools in Midlands are on remote learning Thursday. A representative for Lexington One said River Bluff, Lexington High School, and the Lexington Tech Center are on e-learning for Thursday.

The district representative said the switch was made after a threatening e-mail was sent.

Richland School District Two said Spring Valley High School is on a delayed start Thursday and will transition to asynchronous learning. It is advising parents to begin picking up their children if they are already at school.

Dent Middle School was reported in a Secure Status Thursday in response to a threat. In West Columbia, Airport High School was also reported to be increasing security after a threat.

Additional threats were reported at the Center for Knowledge and E.L. Wright Middle School Thursday afternoon.

Lexington-Richland Five said Irmo Middle School was in a modified lockdown after the school received a suspicious email.

Lexington One provided an update on the situation at around noon Thursday,

“Here is an update on our schools that had to switch to e-learning today. Before high schools started this morning, district administrators were notified of an email that made a threat against River Bluff High School and Lexington Technology Center. Law enforcement was immediately contacted and involved in the response and continuing investigation.”

“The decision was made and communicated to families and employees that RBHS and LTC would switch to an e-learning day. Lexington High School was also included in the decision as LTC and LHS share a campus.”

“Later in the morning, a similar threat was reported that impacted White Knoll High School. The decision was made to dismiss school at White Knoll High School. We continue to cooperate with law enforcement as the investigation into the source of the threats continues.”

Richland Two provided an update on the situation at 1 p.m. Impacted high schools in the district will remain on remote learning Friday. It has not been decided if they will continue remote learning at the start of next week.

SC Superintendent of Education Ellen Weaver spoke on the developing situation,

“I am praying for the safety of everyone involved and grateful for the rapid response of law enforcement as they protect our school communities and work to bring the perpetrators of these disgusting threats to justice. I stand shoulder to shoulder with every family and member of the impacted school communities and will double down on our efforts to fully fund School Resource Officers and a Training Center for School Safety to meet these threats head-on and keep our students and educators safe.”

The Lexington County Sheriff’s Department said they are investigating the threat but it is not believed to be credible.

Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott said in a statement,

“The Richland County Sheriff’s Department has been called to investigate threats at multiple high schools this week. All threats are taken seriously and investigated immediately. At this time, we have determined that none of these threats are credible.”

“The individuals behind these rumors create chaos and fear for no reason, disrupting the education and sense of safety for an entire community,” Sheriff Leon Lott said. “This is a drain on school and public safety resources. Any suspects identified can face criminal charges.”

“Student safety is everyone’s priority. We urge school staff and parents to discern carefully what steps to take to avoid perpetuating panic. RCSD will continue to work with district leadership to investigate each criminal threat reported, as they determine whether to evacuate students at school or cancel in-person learning.”

WIS will update this story as we learn more.

Notice a spelling or grammar error in this article? Click or tap here to report it. Please include the article’s headline.

Stay up to date with WIS News 10. Get the app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and Stream us on Roku, YouTube, Amazon Fire, or Apple TV.

Copyright 2023 WIS. All rights reserved.