Associated Press
A Florida Sheriff fed up with a spate of false school shooting threats is taking a new tactic to try to get through to students and their parents: he’s posting the mug shot of any offender on social media.
Law enforcement officials in Florida and across the country have seen a wave of school shooting hoaxes recently, including in the wake of the deadly attack at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, that killed two students and two teachers.
Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood on Florida’s Atlantic Coast said he’s tired of the hoaxes targeting students, disrupting schools and sapping law enforcement resources. In social media posts Monday, Chitwood warned parents that he’ll make sure the public knows if their kids are arrested for making these threats.
“Since parents, you don’t want to raise your kids, I’m going to start raising them,” Chitwood said. “Every time we make an arrest, your kid’s photo is going to be put out there. And if I can do it, I’m going to perp walk your kid so that everybody can see what your kid’s up to.”
Chitwood made the announcement in a video highlighting the arrest of an 11-year-old boy who was taken into custody for allegedly threatening to carry out a school shooting at Creekside or Silver Sands Middle School in Volusia County. Chitwood posted the boy’s full name and mug shot to his Facebook page.
In the video, which had more than 270,000 views on Facebook as of Monday afternoon, the camera pans across a conference table covered in airsoft guns, pistols, fake ammunition, knives and swords that law enforcement officers claim the boy was “showing off” to other students.
“Right this way, young man,” an officer tells the boy, his hands shackled behind his back.
The boy is led into an empty cell, with metal cuffs around his wrists and ankles, before an officer closes the door and locks him inside.
“Do you have any questions?” the officer asks as he bolts the door.
“No sir,” the boy replies.
The video prompted a stream of reactions on social media, with many residents praising Chitwood, calling on him to publicly identify the parents as well — or press charges against them.
Others questioned the Sheriff’s decision, saying the 11-year-old was just a child and that his parents should bear the weight of the responsibility.
Under Florida law, juvenile court records are generally exempt from public release — but not if the child is charged with a felony, as in this case.
Law enforcement officials across Florida have been tracking a stream of threats in the weeks since the 2024-2025 school year began. In Broward County, home to Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, officials said last week they had already arrested nine students, ages 11 to 15, for making threats since August.
“For my parents, to the kids who are getting ready for school, I’m going to say this again,” Broward Sheriff Gregory Tony said at a news conference, “Nothing about this is a laughing or joking matter.”
“Parents, students, it’s not a game,” he added.
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Republished with permission of The Associated Press.
