1 boy, 3 girls arrested in connection to threats made at Lockhart High School
LOCKHART, Texas - A 16-year-old boy was arrested for threats made on a girls' bathroom wall at Lockhart High School, the city said.
The threat circulated on social media. As a result, both Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office and Lockhart Police Department increased their presence on and around Lockhart ISD campuses Monday.
On Tuesday, the campus contacted Lockhart police to turn in three girls in probable connection to the school threat. The three teens will face maximum consequences within the school district's authority, and were also arrested.
Several parents shared screenshots of the message written on the wall of a girls' restroom with FOX 7 Austin. The screenshots showed a message that read, "I'm going to shoot up the school in the morning on Monday."
Those parents tell FOX 7 Austin that they received letters from Lockhart ISD and Lockhart High School about the message on Sunday.
The letter from Lockhart High School said that they did "not believe there is any immediate danger." Both letters said there would be an increase in law enforcement monitoring.
The teen could face terroristic threat charges.
"The Lockhart Police Department takes these threats very seriously," said Lockhart Police Chief Ernest Pedraza. "The safety and security of our students are paramount, not only to us, but the rest of our community. We spared no time, nor manpower, to ensure classes at Lockhart ISD continued without incident."
"If you are looking to threaten any of our schools, be prepared to face the consequences," Pedraza added.
FOX 7 Austin contacted Lockart ISD which released the following statement:
The Lockhart High School campus administration became aware of a threat written on a girls' bathroom wall on the campus. We are grateful to the individual who brought this matter to the attention of the administration. We encourage everyone to continue reporting to the school or district anytime they hear or see something that is not safe. Parents, students, and community members can also go to www.lockhartisd.org and submit concerns via "Alert LISD."
Both Caldwell County Sheriff’s Office and Lockhart Police Department have an increased presence on and around Lockhart ISD campuses today. We are grateful for their support.