Suspect in custody after threat to Cheboygan Area Schools

Kortny Hahn, Cheboygan Daily Tribune
·3 min read
Law enforcement officials from multiple agencies, including the Cheboygan Department of Public Safety, Cheboygan County Sheriff's Department and the Michigan State Police, executed a search warrant on the home of the Cheboygan High School student who allegedly made a threat towards the school.
Law enforcement officials from multiple agencies, including the Cheboygan Department of Public Safety, Cheboygan County Sheriff's Department and the Michigan State Police, executed a search warrant on the home of the Cheboygan High School student who allegedly made a threat towards the school.

CHEBOYGAN — A 15-year-old Cheboygan High School student is now in a juvenile detention facility downstate — awaiting his next court date — after being arraigned on charges connected to a threat that closed all Cheboygan Area Schools on Friday.

The charges the juvenile was arraigned on include a felony count of false report of a threat of terrorism, a felony charge of using a computer to commit a crime, a misdemeanor charge of making an intentional threat to a school and a misdemeanor charge of using a computer to commit a crime. He was arraigned Friday in Cheboygan County's 53rd Circuit Court's Probate Division.

Cheboygan, Charlevoix, Emmet Central Dispatch Authority in Petoskey first received the call around 7:45 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 2 from a concerned individual who had seen a Snapchat photo regarding a threat directed at Cheboygan Area High School. The photo the caller had seen said not to go to school on Friday and warned someone was going to come to the school with a gun and shoot it up.

The Cheboygan Department of Public Safety was dispatched to investigate the threat, and after several hours of investigating, Cheboygan Area Schools' School Resource Officer Deputy Ron Fenlon was also contacted.

"Officer Jordan Mutschler and I were investigating the threat, then I got in touch with Fenlon around 8:30, 9 o'clock and he started helping as well," said Cheboygan Department of Public Safety Sgt. Ron White. "Then some other deputies from the sheriff's department went out and interviewed someone out in the county. It was a joint effort after we took the initial call."

White said all of the law enforcement involved in the investigation worked well together and they were able to come up with a suspect within several hours. It was determined the threat was made by one person, the 15-year-old male student.

The decision was made, after conversations between local law enforcement and Cheboygan Area Schools Superintendent Paul Clark, to cancel school on Friday out of an abundance of caution, as law enforcement continued their investigation.

"I was very impressed with law enforcement," said Clark. "Once they were made aware of the threat, they started to investigate, and within about two and a half hours, they had a suspect."

Multiple agencies worked together after a threat was found on social media that was directed toward Cheboygan High School.
Multiple agencies worked together after a threat was found on social media that was directed toward Cheboygan High School.

On Friday morning, multiple law enforcement agencies, including the Cheboygan Department of Public Safety, Michigan State Police and Cheboygan County Sheriff's Department, executed a search warrant on the juvenile's home in the City of Cheboygan. The juvenile was taken into custody by officers with the Cheboygan Department of Public Safety.

"Law enforcement also went through the high school to ensure that it was safe to return to school," said Clark. "I truly appreciate the efforts of all the law officers involved in the case and the speed in which it was taken care of. I feel that it is 100% safe to reopen school."

Clark said the safety of students is the district's top priority.

"We also appreciate the students and parents that came forward with information about the threat," said Clark.

Cheboygan Area Schools had received a similar threat in December of 2019. However, after an investigation by local law enforcement, that threat was determined to have originated outside of the country.

"Again, fine work by law enforcement allowed us to reopen safely back then," said Clark.

As school resource officer, Fenlon is available to parents and students of any school throughout the county, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. Threats like this can be reported by calling him at (231) 420-3388, by calling 911, or by calling another local law enforcement agency. There is also a completely anonymous tip line that can be used, the state's OK2SAY program.

Law enforcement officials said they take threats such as this very seriously.

"I think it's imperative that we get the word out that these kids can't do this stuff," said Cheboygan County Sheriff Dale Clarmont. "They will be held accountable."

Contact Features Writer Kortny Hahn at khahn1@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @khahnCDT.

This article originally appeared on Cheboygan Daily Tribune: Suspect in custody after threat to Cheboygan Area Schools