SJSO: 13-year-old girl arrested after social media threats targeted multiple area schools

LAPLACE, La. (WGNO) — A teenage girl was arrested Wednesday morning after authorities say multiple violent social media threats targeted several St. John Parish schools over the weekend.

Sheriff Mike Tregre reports that the 13-year-old was booked with two counts of principal to terrorizing. While the child’s name has not been released, police say she is a student in the St. John Parish Public School System.

On Saturday, April 30, SJSO detectives began investigating multiple images on social media that threatened shootings at East St. John Elementary, East St. John Preparatory Academy, and East St. John High School.

The schools proceeded with heightened security measures on Monday and Tuesday out of caution.

Detectives say they were later able to identify the girl as a suspect in the case, which also involved state and federal agencies.

Tregre commented on the investigation, saying:

“I want to reassure the community that we work closely with St. John Parish Public Schools District to ensure the safety of students and faculty. When we learned of these threats, we immediately partnered with local, state, and federal law enforcement officials to fully investigate these threats.”