POLK COUNTY, Fla. — A Kathleen High School student was arrested on Thursday after writing a threatening post on Instagram, according to deputies.
Polk County deputies say that on Wednesday, the 16-year-old male student posted a selfie on Instagram with the caption, "Active shooter drill tomorrow lol it would be a shame if it was real." It was reported to law enforcement.
When deputies interviewed the student, he allegedly told them "he knew they were there to talk to him about it." During a search of his cell phone, deputies located another Instagram post on the same date, posted three hours later, with a picture of the student and the caption: "someone will die today."
The student reportedly told deputies he did it as a joke and he knew that it was stupid.
"This is the first arrest of the school year under this statute, and we hope it's the last. Parents, talk to your kids about the danger of posting things like this on social media. Not only is it not a joke - it's a horrible idea, and it's a felony," said Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.
During the 2018 legislative session, lawmakers amended a law related to written threats to kill, do bodily injury, or conduct a mass shooting or an act of terrorism has been amended to include all posts on social media. "Any person who makes, posts, or transmits a threat in a writing or other record, including an electronic record, to conduct a mass shooting or an act of terrorism, in any manner that would allow another person to view the threat, commits a felony of the second degree," the amended Statute reads.
