Sheriff: Threats to Wea Ridge Middle School not credible
LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A Facebook meme about a planned shooting at Wea Ridge Middle School on Thursday is not credible, Tippecanoe County Sheriff Bob Goldsmith said.
"They do not believe this to be credible," Goldsmith said about 11:30 a.m. Wednesday after a hectic morning of detectives and investigators looking into the meme. "They will be wrapping (the investigation) up shortly."
No one is in custody, Goldsmith said, noting his day began at 4:41 a.m. with a Facebook message to him about the threat. He asked the person who messaged him to call dispatch, because that person would have more information than if he called dispatch.
About 1:20 p.m. Wednesday, Goldsmith said that detectives and school resource officers had tracked down the student who posted the meme and interviewed that student.
"We're very confident there's no threat to the school," he said.
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The threat was posted on Tuesday — the same day an 18-year-old man in Uvalde, Texas, killed 19 elementary school students, 2 teachers and wounded 16 others.
Reposting memes such as this or sending a message to law enforcement is not the way to report a threat, Goldsmith said.
"Spreading things on social media just causes anxiety and fear," Goldsmith said.
Call your local law enforcement agency instead of repeating the meme, he said.
The sun was barely up before parents were calling dispatch out of concern about the threat, Goldsmith said.
Meanwhile, detectives and school resource officers already were tracking down the meme and trying to figure out who created it, Goldsmith said. At 11:30 a.m., Goldsmith did not know who created the meme.
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Sue Scott, spokeswoman for Tippecanoe School Corp., confirmed Wednesday morning that the threat was not credible.
Wea Ridge Middle School Principal Fred Roop and Clint Wilson, principal at adjacent Wea Ridge Elementary School, emailed students' parents Wednesday morning.
"We appreciate the quick response by our local law enforcement agencies and concerned parents to this potential threat," Roop wrote. "We encourage you to use this incident to talk to your student about the consequences of posting potentially threatening comments on any social platform, even in a joking manner, and to report any posts that threaten the safety of others."
"School officials were notified this morning of a concerning post on social media," Wilson wrote, "allegedly made by a Wea Ridge Middle School student.
"While law enforcement believe this is not a credible threat, they are taking the situation seriously and are investigating."
Reach Ron Wilkins at rwilkins@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2.
This article originally appeared on Lafayette Journal & Courier: Tippecanoe County Sheriff: Wea Ridge Middle School threat not credible
