Police arrested a 13-year-old girl this week who allegedly threatened to blow up her central Florida school after telling police she was "bored."
NBC affiliate WFLA-TV reported the teen was arrested Wednesday after writing "I am gonna blow up this school" with the date "11.5.2022" on the bathroom of Boone Middle School in Haines City.
Administrators and a school resource officer identified the teen as the one who made the threat. During an interview, the teen allegedly admitted to writing the message on the wall “because she was bored”.
The teen's name was not released. She was charged with a felony count of written threats to kill, injure or conduct act of terrorism. Law enforcement said no explosives were found at the school and no weapons were found at the teen's home.
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“We take every threat to our schools seriously,” Haines City Police Chief Greg Goreck said. “The safety of our students is vital and we will continue to send the message to everyone that there is no such thing as a harmless prank when it comes to making threats against our children.”
Polk County Schools superintendent Frederick Heid issued a statement encouraging parents to reinforce with their children not to make threatening statements.
"We must take any potential threat seriously. Our number one priority is always the safety of our students and staff members," the statement read in part. "As always, we encourage students, staff and community members to report any suspicious activity to law enforcement and school administrators.”
