LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- A 12-year-old has been arrested and charged with felony intimidation after a social media threat was made against two southern Indiana middle schools.
Jeffersonville Police originally were made aware of an alleged lockdown of Parkview Middle School.
According to a news release from Jeffersonville Police Detective Lt. Samuel Moss, "this information stemmed from direct communication by a student, who was at school, texting their parent."
Both Parkview and River Valley Middle School increased security Thursday after officials became aware of potential threats, but neither school has initiated lockdown procedures.
According to a message from Superintendent Mark Laughner to parents of students at River Valley Middle School and Parkview Middle School, Jeffersonville Police and district administrators started investigating a threat against River Valley that was circulating on social media Wednesday evening.
The threat specifically mentioned River Valley, but "other posts referring to the threat began to incorporate Parkview Middle School as well."
The message stated that police have thoroughly investigated the threat against River Valley and found it wasn't credible, and went on to say: "Officers are still investigating the threat related to Parkview. Out of an abundance of caution, there will be an increased police presence at River Valley and Parkview."
In an update, Jeffersonville Police said just before 2 p.m. that detectives were able to identify the author of the social media post, which was a 7th grader at Parkview.
Police said probable cause affidavits will also be submitted for review to possibly produce felony intimidation charges on two more students.
Jeffersonville Police said in the release that tips are appreciated, but emphasized it's important to be careful when making posts to social media that could result in legal action.
"The Jeffersonville Police Department would like to ask parents to speak with their children to remind them of the severity of communicating any type of threat and the importance of reporting a threat to a school official or to law enforcement," Jeffersonville Police said in a social media post. "Sharing or creating misinformation on social media only adds to the chaos and interferes with the efficiency of the police and school administrative investigations. These actions destabilize the safety of our schools and disrupt the educational environment."
Other Threats
Several school districts across the river in Kentucky canceled classes or stepped up security this week in the wake of similar threats. Students were already on school buses when Adair County decided to cancel classes early Wednesday after becoming aware of a threat on Snapchat.
This story will be updated if more information becomes available.
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