UPDATE September 10, 5:45 p.m.:
North Port Police arrested another student for a school shooting threat.
Now, two 14-year-old boys are charged with written or electronic threats to kill, or conduct a mass shooting or an act of terrorism.
ORIGINAL STORY:
One person has been taken into custody after threatening on social media to do harm at North Port High School this week.
North Port Police say they were made aware of the post and detectives immediately began investigating.
Sarasota County Public Schools sent Fox 4 this statement that was sent to families and staff about the threat:
We are relieved to inform you that the individual responsible for the social media post has been identified, arrested, and has confessed to posting false information. The North Port Police and Sarasota County Schools Police departments conducted a thorough investigation, leading to this resolution. While the threat was not credible, we took it very seriously and maintained heightened security to protect our students and staff. We would like to thank our law enforcement partners for their swift and decisive action and our families for their continued trust and cooperation. Please be assured that we remain dedicated to the safety of everyone at our schools. We will continue to collaborate with law enforcement and take all necessary precautions to uphold the security of our learning environment.
If you have any further questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Police say they are still investigating. The person has not yet been charged.
Watch Bella's full report below.
“We take all threats to cause harm at schools seriously and anyone suggesting hurting our students will be held accountable. Even, if there is no real action planned,” says North Port Police Chief Todd Garrison.
Police say extra officers will be at North Port High School Tuesday to ease concerns.
The threat comes just days after a "disturbance" at North Port High School. FOX 4 was at the school last Friday when Police said someone called 911 to report someone had a gun on campus. That report turned out not to be true. But police did respond and detained two men on campus after they left the school and did not stop immediately for police.
In a police report obtained Monday. North Port Police officers responded to a dropped 911 call in which the caller said a subject had a gun and was leaving the school. An officer followed the vehicle with emergency lights overhead. After the vehicle did not stop the officer pulled in front of the vehicle and the officer drew his weapon and pointed it at the driver and passenger. Both subjects complied and were removed from the vehicle without incident.
In the report, the driver's name was redacted.
Fox 4's Bella Line went to the passenger's address to find out what had happened, but no one answered.
Line reached out to the Sarasota County Public School District and they credited the fast response of all law enforcement agencies in handling the situation.
"In this particular instance, the swift actions of school police, officials, and the North Port Police were critical in managing the situation," said a spokesperson from Sarasota County Schools.
As this develops, your team of Fox 4 community correspondents will keep you up to date.
