Local officials provide update to school threats

ZANESVILLE, Ohio- Over the past week several schools across the country have received threats that have caused panic and uneasiness. The Muskingum County prosecutor along with the sheriff and police chief held a press conference this morning to discuss the threats at schools here at home.

Prosecutor Mike Haddox, Sheriff Matt Lutz, and Chief Tony Coury said there has been an influx of threats after the deadly mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida. Although most of the threats have not been credible four students have been arrested and charged for threats they made. In one of the incidents a student was caught with a weapon.

“Yesterday, Thursday, February 22nd, we had an incident at West Muskingum High School where an individual student two knives to school and threatened to stab another student. He has also been charged and is locked up,” said Haddox.

All four of the students arrested and charged are between the ages of 14 to 16. Haddox said the students say they didn’t mean any harm and that the threats weren’t real.

“At least three of these individuals claim that they were joking. Playing around. I can tell you that the Sheriff’s Department, the Police Department, and my office is not going to accept that excuse for making threats to persons or property in our school systems.”

All three officials say that parents should talk to their students about the seriousness of the threats and the sentences they carry if charged.

Sheriff Lutz said law enforcement has a zero tolerance when it comes to fake threats.

“There is no limit of how far we will go to pursue these matters. If you are putting stuff on Facebook prepare to be a knock at your door because we will be coming to talk to you.”

Haddox agreed that anyone making threats will be dealt with accordingly.

“So for you students out there thinking about going to school and making stupid comments like that you’re going to get locked up down in our local detention facility along with these four individuals.”

Chief Tony Coury reminded citizens the resources it takes to investigate these threats.

“We’re spending countless hours to  investigate some of these rumors and that takes the officers away from the streets, you know, in the city of Zanesville and Muskingum County,” said Coury. “We are not going to play games with kids that want to misbehave.”

No schools were closed or delayed due to the threats, but it has taken a toll on students and parents. Some parents have kept their kids home due to the threats and some students are finding it hard to feel safe at school.

“It disrupts the education for, you know, the kids that want to get an education and learn. It’s just a total day of chaos and our school resource officers reported back that they really couldn’t even convince the kids, some of the kids, that were there to calm down and that it was we believe it was a hoax,” said Coury.

The officials ask for anyone aware of a potential threat to contact the Police Department, the Sheriff’s Office, or a school Resource Officer immediately and to not spread any information on social media.