Juvenile arrested for social media threats
Sep. 20—A 14-year-old female juvenile was arrested Thursday, Sept. 19 following investigations into social media threats directed towards several Sidney and Walton central school district students.
Sidney Village Police Chief Eric Oliver said law enforcement was alerted about a social media post at about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18.
The post included a vague threat followed by a list of four Sidney students and seven Walton students. At about 11:40 a.m., Sidney officers responded to Sidney Central School and interviewed the four students along with school officials, according to a statement on Facebook by Sidney Village Police.
The juvenile, who was not named, was charged with with one count of making a terroristic threat and four counts of second-degree aggravated harassment. Due to the subject's age, she was released and issued a juvenile appearance ticket to appear at the Delaware County Probation Department.
Sidney Central School Superintendent Eben Bullock said Friday that he was "grateful for the dedicated staff for putting students' safety first, and the amount of support from the Sidney community with regards to the notion of see 'something, say something.'"
Bullock said that post with the vague threat stated, "better watch out Sidney and Walton" followed by the students' names.
Bullock also advised parents and guardians to "have a conversation with their kids at home about what is and isn't appropriate to post on social media."
Walton Superintendent Dr. Michael MacDonald shared on an update on the school's website.
"Unfortunately, in the last several years, the utilization of social media to threaten or cause disruption or fear has become all too common," he said in a statement. "It is important that we continue to navigate this concerning trend together with our shared objective of providing a safe school for all members of our school community."
The investigation was conducted by the Village of Sidney Police Department, Walton Police Department and New York State Police.
