Math Student's Facebook Threats Added Up To Arrest

WINTER HAVEN, FL — A Polk State College student’s alleged frustrations over her math class added up to grounds for her arrest, authorities say. The 19-year-old was brought into custody by the Polk County Sheriff’s Office after posts were made to her Facebook page threatening to "shoot the school up."

According to the sheriff’s office, Scarlett R. “Dakota” Tuck of Winter Haven posted two threats against the school on April 4. In the first, she wrote: “If I don’t pass math I’m gonna shoot the school up,” an arrest report stated.

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It seems Tuck, who is enrolled in an essential math course, wasn’t pleased with her grade. Later on April 4, she’s accused of making a second post. That time, the arrest report said she wrote: “I failed my math test so don’t come to school tomorrow."

After visiting with Tuck, the sheriff’s office said she admitted to making the posts on Facebook. “However, she confessed her intent was not to ‘shoot up the school,’” the report noted. “The posts were authored based on her academic frustrations.”

Frustrated or not, the sheriff’s office determined the actions posed probable cause for an arrest on a charge of making a written threat to kill or injure. Tuck was booked into the Polk County Jail on Wednesday and was released April 6 in lieu of $5,000 bond.

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Booking photo courtesy of the Polk County Jail