Repeated warnings and pleadings by the sheriff and the superintendent to Flagler County students over the last few years not to joke about school shootings did not stop a 14-year-old Flagler Palm Coast High School student from doing just that on SnapChat on Monday, apparently knowing he might get in trouble. He did.
The student, M.P., now faces a second-degree felony charge even though it was him and his mother who requested to meet with a school resource officer at FPC this morning, and it was M.P. who disclosed the joking threat.
“M.P. was very apologetic and remorseful and realized that his actions could instill fear in the persons within the group,” the boy’s arrest affidavit said. “M.P. stated that he wrote slimeyou out #dontcome to school. When asked what slimeyouout meant M.P. stated that it means to hurt or shoot. M.P. stated he was immediately removed from the group but was added back a few hours later at which time he apologized and stated the comments were a joke.”
There were 13 students in the SnapChat group. One of them, called to the dean’s office, provided a screenshot of the communication by M.P., including the “I’m joking” disclaimer. There was a minor discrepancy over the precise terminology M.P. said he used and what the other student showed he used. “M.P. stated that he was trying to be edgy and using dark humor.” Nevertheless, he was placed under arrest for “written or electronic threat to kill, do bodily injury, or conduct a mass shooting or act of terrorism,” as the affidavit describes it.
He was transported to the Flagler County Inmate Facility for processing, then transferred to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, from where he would typically be returned to his parents’ custody. The student is likely to end up with a probationary term and face a suspension from in-school instruction, though the district usually ensures that students continue to receive instruction at home.
“We have a zero-tolerance policy for threats to schools,” Sheriff Rick Staly was quoted as saying in a release his agency issued this afternoon–a statement that was a variation of something the sheriff has said perhaps two dozen times in the last few years: there have been that many student arrests on similar charges. “This is not a joke; it is not funny. All threats will be taken seriously and will be investigated, and those who make them will be arrested. Parents, be the sheriff of your home and teach them that words have consequences and know what your children are saying and doing online. This student’s parent did the right thing by having him self-report to the SRD.” SRD stands for school resource deputy.
In a departure from previous practice in agency releases of the sort, the release did not name the student, though the image it released of the SnapChat screenshot included the student’s last name. FlaglerLive generally does not identify minors charged with crimes except in certain circumstances, among them when a firearm is involved in the allegation.
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