FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. — The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said a 13-year-old girl was arrested on Monday for making a threat to commit a shooting at Buddy Taylor Middle School.
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Investigators said Buddy Taylor Middle School contacted the sheriff’s office about a possible threat.
Deputies said they discovered the 13-year-old girl had made a post on social media Sunday that read, “12:05 be ready to die if you go to BTMS” with knife and gun emojis.
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The girl told deputies she and a friend were talking about school shootings and said she did not think the post was that serious and had no intentions to shoot anyone at the school.
Deputies said the friend admitted to the conversation and told deputies they were joking around on the phone.
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The Sheriff’s Office said the girl’s mother was made aware of the post and knowing the seriousness of the matter, made her daughter delete it.
On Monday, the mother brought the girl to school to report what her daughter posted on Sunday.
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The 13-year-old was immediately arrested for a written/electronic threat mass shooting/terrorism act and taken to the Department of Juvenile Justice.
“The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office takes all threats seriously, especially ones made towards a school or its student body, “said Sheriff Rick Staly. “We don’t like arresting young teens, but we will protect Flagler County students. Thank you to the parent who found this post on her daughter’s phone and reported it to the school so we could act swiftly and make a quick arrest to prevent an incident from happening at a Flagler County school. I also know this had to be a hard decision for a parent, but it was the right decision. Thank you to the mom for being the Sheriff of your home. More parents need to be parents and not just friends and teach their kids that actions have consequences.”
The Flagler County School District Superintendent LaShakia Moore provide the following statement:
“We are aware of this arrest of a student making threats to the safety of the school. We want to make it clear that such behavior is never a joke. Anyone who threatens the welfare of our children and our employees will be met with consequences. We work closely with the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office to ensure a swift and appropriate response to any threat, and we encourage all students and families to understand the gravity of these actions. Our priority remains the safety of our students, faculty, and staff.”
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