On September 15, it was an 11-year-old boy at Rymfire Elementary. On Sept. 25, it was a 12-year-old at Indian Trails Middle School: same method–threats made in a group chat away from school, images of weaponry sent to make the point–same result: an arrest and a felony charge.
Last Thursday evening a Flagler County Sheriff’s deputy responded to a call in Palm Coast’s B-Section, where the parent of an Indian Trails Middle student was concerned about a message her 12-year-old had received: another 12-year-old, NG, was threatening to stab him. The boys were in the same group chat and share several classes at Indian Trails.
The two boys had been arguing in the chat that afternoon. Then NG sent the picture of a box of 15 knives and a brass knuckle and made threatening statements, including the line, “I’ll stab your bitch ass with all this illegal shit.” The picture NG sent showed the box of knives opened and its contents displayed in the box and on the carpet around it.
The recipient became afraid of going to school the next day. His mother pursued charges.
Sheriff’s deputies located NG’s address in Palm Coast’s L-Section and got NG’s father’s permission to speak with the child. Beforehand, NG’s father told the deputies that the knives in the picture were, in fact, NG’s. NG confirmed that his was the phone number that had sent the texts and the image, and that the knives were his, though by then he’d deleted the messages. He said he’d sent the messages because he was angry.
Most of the time in the sheriff’s arrest reports involving children making such threats, the child at one point or another concedes that there never was an intention to carry out the threat, that it was an overreaction, that it was meant in jest. In this case, no such explanation was provided. There was no explanation for the anger, either.
The child was placed under arrest on a felony charge of for written or electronic threats to kill or commit bodily harm, and transported to the Flagler County jail for booking, but not holding. He was turned over to the Department of Juvenile Justice in Daytona Beach. Deputies confiscated the box of knives.
“This is an unfortunate situation where we had to arrest a child, but we take threats like this very serious,” Sheriff Rick Staly was quoted as saying in a release issued by his agency. “It is important for parents to be aware of what their children are saying to each other on social media and monitor their activity. I also urge parents to be the Sheriff in your home and make sure that children know the consequences of threatening someone. It may not seem like a big deal to them, but they need to know that it is a felony crime under Florida law and can have serious consequences. It doesn’t matter how old they are or they tell us they were joking when we knock on your door because it’s no joking matter. They will get arrested. Parents, also teach your children how to handle disputes as that education will last them a lifetime.”
The child is likely to face probation in family court and suspension from Indian Trails, at least for a few weeks, when he would either attend the district’s alternative school or receive home instruction.
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