Student Accused Of Writing Shooting Threat In Bathroom Stall Arrested

By Sam Borcia, the Lake & McHenry County Scanner

A student at Woodstock High School has been arrested and charged following an investigation into a school shooting threat that was written in a restroom at the school last week.

The Woodstock Police Department said they arrested the juvenile student around 3 p.m. Monday.

The threat was discovered on December 6 in a restroom at Woodstock High School, according to Woodstock Police Chief John Lieb.

Lieb said the threat was written on a restroom stall and implied the use of a firearm.

A photo was taken of the threatening message and posted on social media.

“Ima shoot up the [expletive] school tomorrow,” the threat said, according to a photo obtained by Lake and McHenry County Scanner.

Lieb said an “intensive” week-long investigation was conducted by Woodstock School District 200 administration, Woodstock High School administration and the Woodstock Police Department’s Investigation Division.

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While the incident was being investigated, an extra police presence was provided to Woodstock High School’s building and grounds to ensure the safety of students and staff.

The McHenry County State’s Attorney’s Office approved a felony charge of disorderly conduct against the suspect, who was taken into custody without incident.

“I am extremely impressed with how the D200 Administration and the WPD Investigations Division took this issue extremely seriously; their efforts made it clear to me that student safety is truly a top priority,” Lieb said.

“The D200 Administration and the WPD Detectives/SROs had to review an extraordinary amount of information to ensure a thorough and accurate investigation occurred,” Lieb added.

The threat was one of several investigated in the Woodstock Community Unit School District 200 last week.

Threats made to Creekside Middle School and Northwood Middle School in Woodstock have been deemed not credible, police said.

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The threat towards Creekside Middle School was a “social media rumor” stemming from an incident that occurred on December 6, police said.

A shooting threat was made by an unknown person towards Woodstock North High School and sent on Snapchat to a student. | Provided Photo

In a separate incident, police said they arrested a Woodstock North High School student after a social media threat was made against Woodstock North High School.

A student received a message from an unknown person on Snapchat asking if they go to Woodstock North High School.

The person then said, “When I shoot I don’t miss,” according to a screenshot obtained by Lake and McHenry County Scanner.

“You should not be worried about sending your children to school. Many of our officers have students who attend D200 schools. We take threats to our schools personal, just as you do. We will always do everything within our legal authority to catch those responsible for making these threats and holding them accountable,” police officials said in a statement.

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Editor’s Note: The first photo published in this story was edited by Lake and McHenry County Scanner to partially conceal an obscenity.

Lake and McHenry County Scanner is a local breaking news website covering issues that matter such as shootings, stabbings, house fires, kidnappings, car accidents, and more around Lake County and McHenry County.