On January 9, students from St. Charles High School observed posts from two separate Instagram accounts threatening to “blow up” the school while displaying a photograph of a handgun. At the time of the notification to officers, the students did not know who owned the accounts because the accounts had been disabled. Through investigation by detectives assigned to the Charles County Sheriff’s Office Homeland Security and Intelligence Section, a 17-year-old student was identified as the suspect and on February 2, the student was charged with making threats of mass violence. The gun shown in the Instagram posts was a photo the student obtained from the internet. The CCSO is reminding parents to talk with their children about the proper use of social media and the internet and the consequences of making threats of violence. Anyone with additional information is asked to call Sgt. J. Long at 301-609-6562. Tipsters who want to remain anonymous, but provide information about threats or criminal activity at schools may contact the confidential tip line at CCPS at 301-302-8305.
CONTACT:
Diane Richardson
Media Relations Office
(301) 609-6557 or (240) 682-1658
The Charles County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) was accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) in 2001 and has since earned the highest rating of Excellence. Established in 1658, the CCSO is one of the oldest law enforcement agencies in the United States. For more information, visit www.ccso.us.
Charles County Crime Solvers offers rewards of up to $1,000 for information that leads to the arrest or indictment of a person responsible for a crime in Charles County. All individuals who provide tips through Crime Solvers will remain anonymous. Anyone with information about an unsolved crime or the location of a fugitive may contact Charles County Crime Solvers by calling 1-866-411-TIPS. Tips can also be submitted online at www.charlescountycrimesolvers.com or by using the P3Intel mobile app, which can be found in the Android Store and Apple store by searching P3tips. For more information about the P3 program, click on this link: www.p3intel.com.