Police in Florida said they arrested an 11-year-old boy Thursday after the middle schooler was accused of threatening to kill his fellow classmates in text messages.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said deputies took the sixth grader from Indian Trails Middle School into custody on charges of written threats to kill or do bodily harm.
He was then transferred to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice.
Authorities said they learned of the threats when another child and their parent showed text messages to the sheriff’s office where the boy “threatened to assassinate fellow students.”
“Even though kids may think that making threats to kill or harm others is just a joke, it is not under Florida law, and we will take it seriously every time,” Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said in a statement.
“Parents need to be the sheriff in their homes and ensure that their children make smart decisions. Teach them the proper way to handle disagreements. Florida law is very clear. Making a threat to kill will get you arrested every time.”
Flagler County is about 70 miles northeast of Orlando.
• Matt Delaney can be reached at mdelaney@washingtontimes.com.
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