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Deputies: Teen threatened school shooting, photos of Parkland shooter found at home

Deputies found photos of the Parkland shooter
Posted at 10:54 AM, Mar 27, 2018
and last updated 2018-03-27 23:15:26-04

Polk deputies arrested a 13-year-old Kissimmee boy under a Baker Act and charged him with Aggravated Stalking after he reportedly threatened to kill another Polk County teen who attends the same school in Osceola County. 

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The Polk County Sheriff's Office says the investigation began on March 24, 2018 when the teen was found passed out drunk on the sidewalk near the intersection of Briargrove Road and Ronald Reagan Parkway in Davenport. The 13-year-old was transported to Heart of Florida Hospital and deputies responded there to interview him. The teen told deputies he drank an entire bottle of liquor from his parents' liquor cabinet and he took a bunch of "happy pills."

During the interviews with deputies, he also said the following: 

  • He wanted to die and see God;
  • He wanted to shoot up Westside K-8 School (in Osceola County, where he attended) because he wanted to be the next school shooter; 
  • He wanted to kill a lot of kids;
  • He wanted to kill different kids because they "snitched" on him and got him expelled from Westside K-8;
  • He was expelled, Baker Acted, and charged with threatening a kid from Westside K-8 School because a kid "tried him."
  • He buried a handgun in his neighbor's backyard because he didn't want his mother to know he had one (no gun was found).

Deputies searched the teen's home and found images of the Parkland shooter and a picture of the Columbine High School shooting on his Playstation. Deputies also learned the teen threatened to bring a knife to school and kill a Polk County teen. 

Throughout the investigation, deputies confirmed the teen was expelled from Westside K-8 school in Osceola County in February 2018 for making similar statements. He was also charged with written threats to kill by the Osceola County Sheriff's Office. The Osceola County Sheriff's Office also had to Baker Act the teen at that time.

"This teen is clearly in trouble. He's had an affidavit filed in Osceola County for threatening to kill students, and he's been Baker Acted by both OSCO and PCSO. We hope he receives the treatment he needs to deal with his desires to hurt himself and others, but we have also placed him under arrest for felony aggravated stalking. We cannot allow anyone of any age to get away with criminal threats to kill, especially when they are aimed towards schoolchildren." - Grady Judd, Sheriff