Police: No Crime Committed In Ladue Middle School Instagram Bullying

In a letter to parents and staff Wednesday, the Ladue School District announced that a police investigation has identified who was behind an Instagram social media account discovered in January that made crude comments about students at Ladue Middle School.

Police Chief Rich Wooten confirmed that the source was a juvenile who did not attend Ladue schools. He would not identify the age of the person or where they were from because no actual crime took place. "While the comments accompanying the first post were insulting, the pictures were legally acquired from other social media sites and no laws were broken," the letter to parents said.

Police are still investigating a second Instagram account that came soon after the first and made threatening comments and used a picture of the shooter in December's mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Wooten would not get into specifics but confirmed that the second Instagram posting is not likely the work of the person behind the first one. The letter to families said "more investigation remains to identify the person responsible, given the information they have been able to obtain up to this point."

"Everyone connected with this investigation past and continuing, was helpful and cooperative," Wooten said.

Patch has attached the text of the letter emailed to parents Wednesday

April 10, 2013

 

Dear Parents,

City of Ladue Police Department officials have released findings in regard to their investigation into two posts appearing on the social media site “Instagram” in January 2013.  The first post from “ladues_ugliest” included pictures of Ladue Middle School students with insulting comments.  The second post from “ladues_ugliest1” included more photos of students, but also a threatening message and a “cover” photo of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooter.  This second message caused the Ladue School District to heighten security at Ladue Middle School, as well as all other schools in the district, during the days and weeks to follow.

City of Ladue Chief of Police Richard Wooten says the department’s investigation has shown it to be unlikely these two posts came from the same individual.  The person posting the first message has been identified and interviewed by police.  This person is a juvenile and not a student of the Ladue School District.  While the comments accompanying the first post were insulting, the pictures were legally acquired from other social media sites and no laws were broken.

The investigation into the second posting continues.  However, Chief Wooten said more investigation remains to identify the person responsible, given the information they have been able to obtain up to this point.

We will notify you if and when there is further information released by police on this situation.  For now, we encourage you to talk with your children regarding internet safety and the importance of being cognizant that information shared over social media can be used in ways for which it is was not originally intended.

Sincerely,


Dr. Judy Sclair, Acting Superintendent
Dr. Donna Jahnke, Incoming Superintendent