Sheriff: 14-year-old arrested for making threats against Gateway Charter High

Writer: Derrick Shaw
Published: Updated:
Deputies respond to a text message threat at Gateway Charter High School.

A 14-year-old Lee County boy is facing serious charges after deputies say he made threats via text against a high school last month. Now, the sheriff is making it clear he has zero-tolerance for anyone who scares students who are trying to learn.

The 8th grader is facing two counts of written threats to conduct a mass shooting and one count of interrupting a school function. WINK News is not naming the suspect because he is a minor.

Marceno said the boy threatened a mass shooting at Gateway Charter High School in Gateway on Nov. 12, and he believes the boy threatened an employee the next day. Both threats by text came from the same phone number.

Two people were taken into custody and questioned Nov. 13 after a text message threat created chaos that day, putting the high school on lockdown for more than four hours. They were later released.

The content of the texts is still unknown.

LCSO had a serious tactical response to the school, with long guns in tote. Marceno said 100 units responded to the scene.

“Every single threat is serious; every single threat,” said Sheriff Carmine Marceno at a press conference Wednesday afternoon.

The following week, students were released early and moved to remote online learning days before Thanksgiving break. The school said with security ramped up it was causing an “unnecessary distraction” to students. Students returned to their classrooms this week.

Watch a replay of the press conference below or click here.

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