A 16-year-old who sent a threat against a high school in Richmond County was taken into custody by Burke County law enforcement.
The Burke County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by the Richmond County School Safety and Security regarding a threat directed towards Cross Creek High School in Hephzibah.
According to the Burke County Sheriff’s office, the threat read, “I’m shootin’ up Cross Creek High School Monday. Be ready.”
The person used the app Yik Yak to communicate the threat. Richmond County school investigators were able to develop sufficient leads based on telecommunications data that led them to Burke County.
The Burke County Sheriff’s Office took a 16-year-old juvenile from the Burke County High School to the Criminal Investigations Division for questioning. Once the parents were present, the juvenile was interviewed and admitted to sending the threat.
The juvenile will be released to the custody of Richmond County School Safety and the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and later detained at the Regional Youth Detention Center.
The Burke County school threat cases are still open and unsolved.
“We are continuing to work with our local, state and federal partners to identify the person(s) responsible for the Yik Yak and email threats. Several businesses and community members have added to the reward offered by the sheriff’s office. As a result, the reward now stands at $4,000 for information leading to an arrest,” Burke County Sheriff Alfonzo Williams said.