5 juveniles charged with making threats of mass violence against Chatham County school

Five juveniles have been charged in connection with a social media threat against a Chatham County school, according to the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office.

On May 14, the Sheriff’s Office was notified of a social media message threatening an act of violence the next day at Chatham Middle School in Siler City.

On Tuesday, the Sheriff’s Office announced that one juvenile was charged with threat of mass violence on educational property, while the other four were charged with conspiring to carry out an act of mass violence on educational property in relation to these threats. Three of the juveniles are students at Chatham Middle School.

The statement said investigators think the threat was a prank and that juveniles did not plan to carry it out.

“I cannot stress enough the seriousness of making threats of a school shooting,” Sheriff Mike Roberson said in the statement.. “Public safety is our utmost priority, and any act — even if it’s a prank — that undermines that security is a serious matter. Not only does it create fear and panic among students, parents, and teachers, but it is a criminal offense that carries severe consequences.”

This year, multiple other students have been charged after making threats against schools in Durham and Wake counties.

In February, a juvenile was charged after allegedly making threats against Zebulon Middle School.

Soon after, leaders in the Wake County school system spoke out, urging families and community to help stop the onslaught of threats by explaining the consequences to students.

Just a few weeks later, an 18-year-old was arrested for allegedly making threats against Research Triangle Park High School in Durham County. Investigators believe these threats were a hoax.

Due to their juvenile status, the Sheriff’s Office has not released the names of the students involved in the Chatham Middle School threats.

This story was originally published May 24, 2023 at 8:37 AM with the headline "5 juveniles charged with making threats of mass violence against Chatham County school."