A student at the Charlotte Harbor Center was arrested Monday evening after a written threat to commit violence at the school was found on his desk.
It was the second such arrest in under a week in Charlotte County.
Earlier Monday, detectives responded to the Charlotte Harbor Center after students had left for the day in reference to a note threatening violence being found. The note was located on the desk of a 14-year-old student and the teacher identified the handwriting as being his.
WGCU is not identifying the student due to his age. Charlotte Harbor Center is a Pre-K through age 22 public school, part of Charlotte County Public Schools.
“I urge parents to remind their children that threats of any kind will always be taken seriously,” said Charlotte County Superintendent of Schools Mark Vianello. “Even a single comment can disrupt learning, cause fear, and bring lasting consequences. Words matter, and safety will always come first.”
Detectives located the student at his home and spoke with him. When interviewed, the student confessed to writing the note, calling it “a prank.” During the conversation, the student also confirmed that he had been arrested before on gun-related and battery charges.
“This is the second arrest in under a week of juveniles who made threats to commit violence at their schools. There is no sympathy from me or from the CCSO when it comes to this," said Charlotte County Sheriff Bill Prummell. We will always – always – take these threats seriously and we will not apologize for making an example of those who make them. There is absolutely no place for this in our schools or anywhere else in Charlotte County.”
The student was taken to the Charlotte County Jail on charges of making a written threat to conduct a mass shooting.
In the previous incident, an investigation led to the arrest of a 15-year-old Charlotte High School student after deputies received a tip regarding a school threat.
On the morning of Wednesday, September 3, the Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office received a tip that indicated a 15-year-old student was planning violence at a Charlotte County school.
Detectives made contact with the student and began an investigation.
The initial investigation found probable cause for the students’ arrest and immediate removal from the campus. She is being held at the Charlotte County Jail, pending transfer to the Department of Juvenile Justice.
This remains an open and active investigation.
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