FL Sheriff 'Perp Walks' Students Accused Of Threatening Schools

FLORIDA — A Florida sheriff is sending a message to parents — and making national news — after multiple students have been arrested and accused of making violent threats against schools.

Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood is making good on his promise to publicize students accused of making claims of school shootings, threats he said have all been hoaxes.

This comes at a time when school shootings have been a hot topic in the U.S., including in the neighboring state of Georgia, where two teachers and two students were killed this month in a shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder.

The accused Georgia gunman was a 14-year-old boy who authorities said hid a rifle in his backpack before shooting inside the Barrow County school. Colt Gray, the accused shooter, is facing murder charges along with his father, Colin Gray, who authorities said gave his son the gun used in the school.

In Florida, Chitwood is on a mission to stop threats against schools.

In a video shared to Facebook, he said authorities received 54 tips of threats of school shootings in a single day on Sept. 13 in Volusia County and noted these tips were deemed "bogus."

He added his office would release photos of suspects and vowed to both "perp walk" them and "parade" them in front of the media. Photos of the suspects' parents would also be released "because you don't want to raise your kid," he said.

"I can't say this clearer," he said in a video posted to Facebook. "You don't stand up on an airplane and yell, 'hijack.' You don't walk into a movie theatre and yell, 'fire,' and you don't get online and post that you're going to shoot up a school. It's going to get your a-- sent to jail."

A seemingly frustrated sheriff, Chitwood said 207 threats have been made against schools this year in Volusia County. Seven people have been arrested and charged with "written threats to kill," while another student was arrested after trying to bring a loaded gun into a school football game, he said.

Furthermore, 11 weapons were found on school campuses this year, Chitwood said.

"Parents, since you don't want to raise your kids, I'm going to start raising them," he said during a news conference.

Daniel Mears, a criminology professor at Florida State University who researches school shootings, told the Associated Press that Chitwood's actions contradict "the spirit of the juvenile justice system."

“Juvenile records were supposed to be confidential for a reason," Mears told the news outlet. "The idea was that kids would have a second shot in life."

Mears acknowledged exceptions have been made for heinous crimes, adding school shootings have dissimilar treatment.

“School shootings are just really unbelievably scary and concerning to people,” he told the Associated Press.

Max Schachter, whose son was killed in the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, praised Chitwood for his measures.

“We had a culture of complacency that led to the Parkland school shooting. And we can’t be complacent anymore,” Schachter told the Associated Press. “We should be holding the individuals that perpetrate these threats and become mass shooters to the highest extent of the law. And ultimately we should be holding their parents responsible.”

'Imma Shoot Up The School'

Most recently, the Volusia County Sheriff's Office said on Wednesday two students were arrested on felony charges after posting threats of a school shooting on Snapchat.

Authorities accused the students, identified as 17-year-old Trinity Mack and 16-year-old Brayden Severance, of threatening to shoot at Taylor Middle-High School in Pierson as a joke.

A school resource deputy at the school responded after receiving notice of the post. Authorities said Mack shared a photo with her school laptop depicted in the image on Snapchat and said, "Imma shoot up the school."

Severance was accused of replying to the post with, "Same."

Both Mack and Severance were arrested and charged on suspicion of making a written threat of a mass shooting, authorities said. They were taken to the Volusia Family Resource Center for processing and then taken to the Department of Juvenile Justice to be detained, authorities said.

The sheriff's office released the mugshots and video of the students being processed in jail.

"Parents, do your job," Chitwood is seen and heard saying in the video. "Don't let Sheriff Chitwood raise your kids. This is absolutely ridiculous."

Authorities said the hoax immediately came after staff at Taylor warned students about making threats as jokes. Per authorities, school officials said these threats could lead to expulsion and arrests.

Two days prior, authorities said an 11-year-old Port Orange boy at Creekside Middle School was arrested after jokingly making threats to shoot at Creekside and Silver Sands Middle School.

Detectives were alerted to the threat after a tip was given to Fortify Florida, authorities said. The boy was accused of saying he "had a written list of people he claimed he would kill."

While searching the boy's room, detectives found several airsoft rifles, pistols and fake ammunition, knives, swords and other weapons, authorities said. Additionally, authorities found the written list, they said.

The student was charged on suspicion of making a written threat of a mass shooting, authorities said. He was processed at the Volusia Family Resource Center and was taken to the Department of Juvenile Justice, authorities said.

A video released by the sheriff's office showed authorities detaining the boy, and the boy's mugshot was released on the sheriff's office's Facebook page.

Before these incidents, authorities reported at least two other students had been arrested for posting threats to shoot schools on Instagram and TikTok.

Chitwood said at least one of the hoaxes will cost families about $11,000 each.