The Florida law that resulted in the arrest of a Navarre youngster who deputies say threatened to “shoot up” a college on social media doesn’t imagine whether or not the danger was once in reality performed. Putting threats in writing the place other folks can see them is sufficient to warrant arrest.
The 13-year-old son of former congressional candidate and state knowledge scientist Rebekah Jones was once arrested by means of the Santa Rosa County Sheriff’s Office remaining week and charged with making written, digital danger of a mass taking pictures/terrorism act. Deputies say the boy made more than one threats about taking pictures and killing other folks at Holley Navarre Middle School on other social media websites and that a selection of different teenagers noticed and gained the messages from his account.
According to deputies, the teenager have been a pupil on the college, however had just lately left and was once homeschooled on the time of the alleged threats.
The arrest:Rebekah Jones’ son arrested in Florida after allegedly threatening to shoot up college, stab scholars
Related:Rebekah Jones blasted state for ‘kidnapping’ son, however stories paint other image. What you wish to have to understand:
An incident file alleges that the 13-year-old made repeated threats to shoot up Holley Navarre Middle School and to stab scholars who angered him.
In the messages to his buddies, in line with the file, {the teenager} made the next statements, amongst others:
“I want to shoot up the school.”
“If I get a gun I’m gonna shoot up hnms lol.”
“I’m getting a wrath and natural selection shirt so maybe but I don’t think many ppl know what the columbine shooters look like.”
“Okay so it’s been like 3-4 weeks since I got on my new antidepressants and they aren’t working but they’re suppose to by now so I have no hope in getting better so why not kill the losers at school.”
The teenager told one of his friends that he planned to shoot up the school the Thursday before Spring Break but there were too many things going on so he postponed it until March 31.
The students reported the claims to the school prior to that date and the investigation was launched.
Investigators also found several memes depicting violence.
“I spoke to students from HNMS and was able to obtain screenshots of (the teen’s) Snapchat post containing threats,” an investigator wrote in the boy’s warrant report. “… The display photographs have been a meme that presentations a mind, with the mind announcing, ‘reach for the officer’s gun,’ and beneath was once a caption which mentioned, ‘me every time I see school security.’
“The second one shows an individual with a shaved head holding a HI-C drink, the message on this meme was, ‘I’m feeling so silly I might shoot up a building full of people,’ next to the message was several emojis, with several of them being smiling emojis,” the file persisted.
In the file, deputies say in addition they requested the boy if he meant to hold out those threats and he mentioned, “No.”
Under Florida statute 836.10, merely writing threats on-line the place others can see them is sufficient to make an arrest. Deputy Chief Assistant State Attorney in Santa Rosa County, Mark Alderman, has prosecuted a number of instances under the statute. He mentioned it doesn’t topic if the individual making the danger intends to hold it out or now not.
“You don’t have to wait until the person is on campus with a gun,” mentioned Alderman. “If somebody is writing about it on Facebook, ‘I’m going to shoot up the school’ or making comments like that, at that point we can do a warrant under that statute.”
Alderman mentioned crimes involving written, digital threats are changing into extra regular. In September of 2020, a then 23-year-old Pace guy was once arrested under the similar statute for making a lot of college taking pictures threats to the University of West Florida by the use of a web-based recreation chat.
His statements incorporated that he can be “the best school shooter,” and would “just have to get 34 kills to be a legend,” primarily based his analysis of the the general public killed all through a taking pictures.
The suspect, Shane Davis, pleaded no contest to the costs and remaining May agreed to probation and a pre-trial unencumber settlement with a lengthy record of stipulations he had to meet for a 12 months to keep away from incarceration together with, staying clear of UWF, dressed in a GPS observe, and finishing a psychological well being analysis and any really helpful remedy.
Alderman mentioned when deciding sentencing, courts can take note the person’s intent and prior report, and in the instances of teenage suspect’s, their age. However, it doesn’t topic if the danger was once a prank or supposed to be menacing. Alderman says it’s very similar to making a bomb danger, which falls under a other statute, however is regarded as a crime.
In February, Santa Rosa Sheriff’s investigators charged a New Jersey youngster as an grownup for making more than one native swatting calls, an all-too-common follow of making prank calls to emergency products and services so that they’ll dispatch armed law enforcement officials to a specific deal with. Brad Parga, 17, faces one legal rely of making a false file of the usage of firearms in a violent way and one misdemeanor rely of interfering with college management purposes.
Another case:Swatting calls to Milton High School web New Jersey youngster a legal fee
Deputies say he made more than one, faux lively shooter calls to Milton High School between February and April 2022. Parga has pleaded now not responsible to the costs and is scheduled to look in Santa Rosa County Court on May 9.
“There was no intent to carry it out,” mentioned Alderman, “it’s just to create panic and fear in the school and some people they think that’s funny I guess.”
With such a lot of actual mass shootings and acts of violence taking place around the nation, Alderman mentioned they don’t wait to peer if any individual making threats is critical. They inspire kids and adults who see or pay attention threats or acts of violence to file it.
Crime Stoppers takes pointers anonymously, and in the case of Rebekah Jones’ son, one of the crucial deputies inspired a pupil who was once interviewed for the investigation to obtain the P3 Tips app, which permits other folks to publish protected and nameless tricks to Crime Stoppers techniques and law enforcement companies.
Rebekah Jones mentioned her son is being focused as a result of she blew the whistle on state executive corruption and that any individual claiming to be a cousin of one in every of her son’s classmates joined their non-public Snapchat crew. She says the individual recorded the conversations and reported them to the police after her son shared a standard web meme criticizing police.
Alderman mentioned the boy has now not but been charged by means of the State Attorney’s Office, however he expects the teenager might be quickly.
“The crime is the written threat,” mentioned Alderman. “People can say, ‘I was joking, I didn’t mean it,’ but the crime is the written threat, which to me, if you keep repeating it then at what point does it become more than a joke versus something you’re probably thinking about. My position is I’m not going to wait until something happens. If somebody is making these comments and writing these comments, then we’re probably going to have to step in.”