Oakland sheriff vows to hold schools' prank callers 'criminally liable' if caught
Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard vowed Friday night to bring to justice those who phoned threats to three high schools — including whoever called Oxford High School and gave the same name as the suspect in last fall's deadly school shooting.
The threats interrupted Friday's classes and had county detectives rushing to the schools to gather evidence, according to a news release from the Sheriff’s Office.
The three threats, none of which proved credible, were made starting shortly before noon and targeted Brandon, Lake Orion and Oxford high schools. Detectives believe the calls came from Florida and New York state area codes, the release said. The call to Oxford High School, where the deadly shooting drew national attention, brought extra police patrols to the school, and it was during the investigation at Oxford that detectives learned of similar calls made to Lake Orion and Brandon high schools.
“We will put every necessary resource to investigating threats against any school, business or house of worship,” Bouchard said in the release, adding: “We have a pending request before the Oakland County Board of Commissioners for additional personnel to investigate threats and coordinate a response across the county.”
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The caller to Oxford High School claimed to be Ethan Crumbley, the former Oxford student charged with multiple felonies including first-degree murder in the Nov. 30 slayings of four students and for wounding six other students and a teacher. He is being held without bond in the Oakland County Jail awaiting trial.
The caller claiming to be Crumbley apparently disguised his voice, the release said.
“Using a phony British accent, the caller said he was depressed and was going to ‘shoot up the school’ and ‘finish’ what he’d started in November. In a second call to Oxford High School, the caller faked an Indian accent and again claimed he was going to shoot up the school. When asked for his location, the caller claimed to be in the school. Juveniles could be heard laughing in the background. The school official said law enforcement had been contacted,” after which the caller hung up, the release said.
In a third call, answered by a Sheriff’s Office school resource deputy, the caller threatened to show up and slap the deputy if anyone hung up on him, and again “juveniles could be heard laughing in the background,” the release said.
In the threat made to Brandon High School, a male caller claimed there was a man in a black pickup truck in the parking lot with an AR-15 gun who would “shoot up the school,” the release continued. “Detectives called the number back and the person who answered claimed to be Ethan Crumbley,” but when asked for his location the caller refused to give it, the release said.
The same phone number from which the call came to Brandon High School also originated the call to Lake Orion, according to Bouchard.
“This is not a joke. Every applicable charge will be sought to bring these perpetrators to justice,” Bouchard said in the news release.
Contact: blaitner@freepress.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Prankster gives alleged shooter's name in threat called to Oxford High
