35-year-old arrested and federally charged for making threats toward Roanoke City Schools

ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR)—The United States Department of Justice reports a 35-year-old man was arrested for threatening students at Patrick Henry High School over social media.

After an investigation by the City of Roanoke Police Department and the FBI, 35-year-old Stephen Karl Johnson from Roanoke was arrested and federally charged with one count of communicating in interstate commerce a threat to injure another person. He was also charged by RPD with Threats Towards Schools, which is a class 6 felony.

“This defendant caused fear and emotional distress to the parents and students of the Roanoke City Public School system and for those actions he has been justly charged,” United States Attorney Christopher R. Kavanaugh said today. “If anyone communicates a threat to our schools, our public servants, or our public institutions in the Western District of Virginia, we will seek to hold them accountable under federal law.  I am grateful to Chief Booth, the Roanoke City Police Department, and the FBI for their diligence in bringing a peaceful end to this situation.”

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They state Johnson posted online threats to a Snapchat group used by Patrick Henry High School Students this week. These threats caused public schools in Roanoke to close on Thursday.

Roanoke Police say Johnson was identified as a suspect throughout their investigation. Investigators were able to trace the threatening messages to a Gmail address used by Johnson.

There is no recent connection between Roanoke City Public Schools and Johnson, though police say he was enrolled in the school system when he was a juvenile.

The FBI and the City of Roanoke Police Department are continuing to investigate this case. WFXR News will update this story as further information is available.

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