A 13-year-old middle school student from Elkhorn, Nebraska was arrested on Thursday on suspicion of terroristic threats.
According to a release, the student made non-specific threats on a national social media gaming website on Wednesday. After he was questioned Wednesday, he made similar non-specific threats again on Thursday on a different social media platform.
The student was booked in the Douglas County Youth Center. Because of his age, his name was not released.
Elkhorn Public Schools released a statement:
"On Wednesday, law enforcement investigated an Elkhorn Valley View Middle School student regarding a nonspecific threat made on a national social media gaming website. Elkhorn Public Schools administration cooperated fully with local law enforcement throughout the investigation. Elkhorn Public Schools takes all threats seriously, and in this situation, at no time did we feel students were in immediate danger. Parents of the student affected received an email on Wednesday afternoon, informing them of the situation."
Captain Wayne Hudson with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office said deputies will be patrolling schools more closely in upcoming days given the alleged threats.
Hudson says law enforcement agencies across the nation are not taking any potential copycat shooting threats lightly and encourage people to report any suspicious activity.
"The whole thing of, if you hear something, say something — we need that information. As we saw in Florida, it seems several kids had information," Hudson said. "They knew this individual had made certain comments and certain threats — especially kids. You're going to find probably some of your most critical information is coming from students and parents. Students are the first line at school and know what's going on."
