GOODYEAR, AZ — A Valley teenager has been taken into custody and charged for allegedly threatening a school.
Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced Thursday that the unidentified teen is charged with one count of making a terrorist threat against Estrella Mountain Elementary School in Goodyear.
Mitchell says the threat happened while the teen was online with other teens and via text messages.
“What children and parents need to understand is that these threats are very serious, and we take them seriously,” said County Attorney Mitchell. “There’s much more to it than just ‘kids being kids.’ Lives are disrupted even if a shot is never fired. At a minimum, school days are interrupted because kids are sent home, or parents keep them home for a day or more. At worst, an active threat can cause trauma that takes a long time to overcome. This is also a drain on law enforcement resources.”
The arrest comes as several school threats across the Valley have been investigated recently with some resulting in the arrests of children and teenagers.
On Wednesday, a 911 call into the Scottsdale Police Department claiming hostages in a bathroom prompted a large police response at Chaparral High School. The threat was later deemed not credible and authorities believe the call originated from outside the city but was made to look like it came from within the school.
Police departments across the Valley continue to emphasize the real trouble and criminal charges that come with making threats toward a school.
Mitchell says the teen arrested yesterday will be adjudicated through the juvenile justice system.
