A 13-year-old girl at Calvary Christian Academy in Ormond Beach was arrested Wednesday after posting threats to “kill everyone at CCA” on Instagram, her arrest report states.
The girl, a Holly Hill resident, was charged with cyber-stalking, making written threats to kill or injure others, making a false report to law enforcement, and disrupting an educational institution. Calvary Christian is a private sectarian school with a K-12 enrollment of about 300, with some 60 to 70 students from Flagler County. Many parents on Wednesday pulled their children out of school when reports of the case began to spread, out of fear.
The girl had reportedly been cyber-bullied herself, but the arrest report notes that her written statement to police included false statements that “she was receiving threatening messages,” and that she had not been at the source of the threatening messages herself.
Aaron Gonzalez, the school’s principal, alerted police about the threats on Instagram when he was made aware of the postings. He told police that two days before the posts were discovered, an Instagram titled “CCAFINEST” was created, with “positive pictures and comments.” The comments did not include the suspect. The following day, another account was created, titled “CCAUGLIEST.”
The same Instagram account then had the following posting: “I wanna kill everyone at CCA I promise I do and I will first ppl will be–” the rest is redacted. Additional posts called other students names, including “how, ugly, gay, bitch, dumbass, niggas,” according to the arrest report, “and poking fun at their features and characteristics.” Gonzalez turned over 16 pages of such postings.
Ormond Beach police responded to the school in early afternoon Wednesday, speaking to the suspect and her mother. The student denied being involved in the matter, terming herself a victim as she had been receiving threatening messages.
An emergency subpoena was sent to Instagram and Facebook requesting information on the “CCAUGLIEST” account, the police report notes. The company provided police with an IP address. The State Attorney’s office revealed that Brighthouse carried the IP address, and supplied the physical address and phone number of the IP address’ location–in apartments on Charleston House Way in Holly Hill.
When the suspect was confronted by police at her home there, she at first began to speak with police, but her mother then revoked her right to be interviewed–only to then, as detectives were leaving, ask them to return and “re-engage,” according to the police report. She was told to report to the Ormond Beach Police Department if she wished for the interview to resume, which she did.
There, the student “admitted that she used her cell phone to send postings and threats on the Instagram page,” her arrest report states. “She stated she did not do it alone at other times, but last night she was alone.” She said she started the Instagram thread in response to other people’s messages, and conceded that “it was a stupid thing to do.”
Jim R says
I’m surprised they don’t throw in a few more charges like having a bad expression on her face, failure to properly tie her shoes, having the wrong haircut. Welcome to police state Amerika
Anonymous says
Mama and daughter both need some SERIOUS counseling!
Nikia says
These kids are too young to understand the long term implications of how they use technology. I still don’t get why we are pushing it down their throats so intensely and so early.
Kedron Abbott says
They may be young, but they’re more than capable of distinguishing the difference between right and wrong. Bullying has real, lasting effects, and if they were to receive something as insignificant as a verbal warning – or something in that nature – what would stop them from doing it again? They need to learn that this is an issue, and can possibly lead to death. By going this route – with the punishment, that is – potential, and more serious issues, could be prevented before they even happen.
Marvelous says
What does threatening to kill peers have to do with a police state?
Jim R says
Right, pre-crime punishment and jail time for thoughts are the new standard. I’m glad I grew up when this country was free and every little thing a kid did or said was not considered criminal
Fergie says
Kids should learn the first rule of revenge. Don’t tell anyone !!!!
David S. says
Social media has gotten way out of hand in the last 10 years or so ,anyone who posts any kind of threats now is going to be tracked down and be held accountable by law enforcement . I agree she should be punished but to what degree?
Jim R says
It’s the criminalizing of speech that is the problem and where do you draw the line . If this young girl made these comments in person it would be considered just a childish outburst, but because she put it online it all of a sudden becomes a crime. One of the signs that you are living in a burgeoning police state is the excessive criminalizing of the behavior of citizens, and this overzealous prosecution of this Girl is one example.
Anonymous says
JimR–Did you consciously neglect to comprehend the part about her threatening to kill people? You seem very intent on minimizing this girl’s behavior, for some reason. Your defensiveness is your problem. Kids who make threats and act out without being either guided or corrected is society’s problem since the behavior is acted on others in society. Not helping this girl see the error of her ways and making excuses for it is NOT in her (or anyone’s) best interest. When a parent takes this tact, it’s either because THEY don’t know any better or THEY are taking the easy way out. Actions have consequences and the earlier people learn this fact, the better.
YankeeExPat says
“Kill everyone at Calvary Christian Academy”………..the Kid sounds like Mommy’s Little Darling……Police State………give me a break!
Jim R says
What do you call a country that has more of it’s citizens in prison than any other country in the world , collects all the phone calls and e mail of it’s people as if they were criminals or terrorists, and has a political system and a news media that is bought and paid for by the oligarchs that own this country.You are living in a fishbowl and either you don’t know or don’t care which basically makes you a willing slave . All the fancy speeches our politicians make about freedom and Democracy have become pure fantasy.
So if it’s not a full blown police state yet, it’s certainly going in that direction.
Brad W says
Great job to the school for notifying the police and great job for holding this young accountable.
Online social networks are not a “free pass” to do whatever one wants. There is no line between “online” and “offline” as many would like to think. There never was supposed to be. It is people on these networks, and the networks are merely a tool to connect people together. Therefore, people are accountable to the same level for their behavior online as well as offline. If one made the same vicious threats offline at the school ask yourself how that situation should be handled.
Based upon the ever-growing violence taking place, thank goodness for people like those in this situation who took this seriously and then reported and took action quickly. I don’t personally think an arrest is unwarranted. Sometimes examples need to be made to be a wake up call for others.
laura m says
I am a 8th grade student and I, as well as many other teens, own an instagram account. Most people are saying that police took the charges pressed against the girl to harshly, but in all honesty, that was the appropriate step to be taken. I have seen many things people have posted regarding threats and I have reported everyone of them. But in my opinion, it starts to become a problem when teens are threatening to kill others. Weather it is a joke or not, people should never cross that line in my opinion. Not only does it worry students, but also if they ever were to pull the actions they stated they would, it would be devastating.
Jim R says
According to the FBI violent crime is way down and our justice system is not supposed to punish people to set an example, it’s function is to fit the punishment to the crime.
What do you think the punishment should be for making foolish remarks whether online or off, who was harmed and why should this young girl have her life ruined for silly comments.
Criminalizing speech is a dangerous road to go down and no one can predict where it will end.
Anonymous says
Jim they just had a17 year old child threaten to kill another 17 year old on snap chat in Charleston..and the boy did show up and kill the child he had threatened.. I understand where you are coming from but unfortunately you never know when someone is serious