Students charged after threats, more reported in Columbia, Burke County schools
GROVETOWN, Ga. (WRDW/WAGT) - On Wednesday, letters went home to parents in Columbia and Burke counties after reports of threats and more.
Burke County Middle School
A seventh-grade Burke County Middle School student was taken into custody on Wednesday after emailing explicit threats to the school, according to the Burke County Sheriff’s Office.
Officials say at around 4 p.m., the principal discovered three emails sent to the school’s official .
The threats included statements of the student’s intent to “blow up and shoot up the school” on Thursday, according to officials.
Officials say the principal immediately notified the school resource deputy who responded to the student’s home.
The student was taken into custody around 5:30 p.m. and charged with terroristic threats and acts, as well as disrupting a public school, according to officials.
Officials say the student still had the threatening messages stored in the sent folder of his Gmail .
The student has been booked into the Regional Youth Detention Center, according to officials.
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Grovetown High School
At Grovetown High School, three students are being held able to the code of conduct and the law after an altercation.
In a letter sent to families, two staff were hit indirectly as they tried to intervene in the altercation involving the three students.
The staff were not injured, according to the letter.
“Safety of students and staff is a top priority and inappropriate physical of any kind is not acceptable and will not be tolerated,” said Andrew Young, Grovetown High School principal.
Evans Middle School
Two students are being held able to the code of conduct after separate incidents at Evans Middle School, according to school officials.
In a letter sent home to parents, a student made comments during class that were of threatening nature to the school, officials say.
The student is being held able according to the code of conduct.
Also on Wednesday, Columbia County School District police were notified of a student with a knife on campus.
Officials say a small pocket knife was discovered and confiscated immediately.
The knife was not shown to other students and there were no threats made, officials say.
The district says the student is also being held able according to the code of conduct.
The letter says suspicious activity should always be immediately reported to a teacher, , CCSD Police or by ing the anonymous tip hotline at 706-541-3600.
“Safety is a shared responsibility and by working together, we can continue to provide a safe, positive environment for students and staff,” said the school in a letter.
Warren County
On Wednesday night, a Warren County School District spokesperson told us, “We have not received any threats. The District has been made aware of a text conversation between two students discussing an alleged rumor. We take all rumors seriously and are actively investigating their origin. At this time, we do not have substantial evidence to confirm any alleged rumors, but we are working closely with our School Resource Officer and school officials to thoroughly investigate the matter.”
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