(The Center Square) — Schools in at least 35 cities or counties across Virginia have been targeted in social media or direct threats since the beginning of the school year, as a wave of school threats washes over the country.
Law enforcement has found most of them baseless, some coming from out of state. Nonetheless, no corner of the commonwealth has been left untouched.
Threats have been investigated all over Virginia from Richmond, Virginia Beach, and Fairfax counties, to Danville and Mecklenburg schools, Roanoke and Lynchburg, Smyth and Wise counties, Orange and Spotsylvania counties, and Northumberland and Richmond counties.
Threats haven’t been limited to high schools or high school students, or young males.
In Manassas, a 12-year-old girl has been charged for making threats against her middle school using TikTok. In York County, a 14-year-old girl has been arrested and charged for threatening to “shoot up the school” on social media. Both threats were deemed non-credible after investigation by law enforcement.
In Orange County, a gun was found in a six-year-old’s backpack. However, the sheriff’s department said in an update to the community there was “absolutely no indication that the child had any intention to use the firearm and additionally did not understand the severity of the item that was brought.” The case is still under investigation.
The Spotsylvania County Sheriff’s Department has arrested seven juveniles in connection to school threats, according to reports, and in a joint statement with Spotsylvania County Public Schools, described some of the consequences even minors could be subject to.
“As noted in the Virginia Code, making verbal or written threats is a severe offense that arises to a Felony degree,” they wrote.
To be convicted of a class 6 felony, the least serious type of felony in the commonwealth, an individual would have to make a threat “of death or bodily injury,” and the threat would have to “place [the victim] in reasonable apprehension of death or bodily injury to himself or his family member.”
Bomb threats, even if an intentional lie or a joke, will earn any person in Virginia 15 years or older a class 5 felony, which could mean up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $2,500. If the perpetrator is under 15, he could be charged with a class 1 misdemeanor. Similarly, anyone who makes a threat “with the intent to commit terrorism” would also be guilty of a class 5 felony.
Neither Attorney General Jason Miyares nor Gov. Glenn Youngkin has issued an official statement regarding the threats. The Center Square reached out to their offices but has yet to hear back in time for publication.
