Whitehall teen charged for ‘terroristic threat’

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By Matthew Saari

State Police arrested a 14-year-old Whitehall student last week, charging him with making a “terroristic threat,” a felony.

The charge stems from an investigation last Tuesday when Whitehall High School administrators were made aware that the student, whose name was not released due to his age, was talking about “engaging in a mass shooting” on the social media platform Snapchat.

School superintendent Patrick Dee said another student brought the comment to the attention of high school principal Jeff Keller, who contacting State Police.

“We take any and all threats very seriously in this day and age,” Dee said.

Keller also searched the teen’s locker, turning his cell phone and backpack over to investigators, Dee said.

Investigator Justin Olsen, the officer handling the case, said police quickly determined the threat to be non-credible after questioning the teen and his family.

“It was just a statement made through social media,” Olsen said. “He was making no attempts to follow through.”

Police also searched the family’s residence, finding no evidence that the teen had access to firearms.

 

This is only a preview of the story published in the Whitehall Times. To read the full story, pick up a print copy of this week’s paper at the newsstand or read it online here.