HIGHLAND TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A 14-year-old Milford High School student has been charged with a false report or threat of terrorism for allegedly threatening to open fire in the school.
The Oakland County Sheriff's Office said the ninth-grader was questioned with his parents and taken into custody Saturday when another student reported reading the threat via the Kik social media app.
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The threat alleged that the student was going to perform an act like the 1999 Columbine High School shooting in Colorado.
The student is being held at Oakland County Children's Village without any bond.
During a hearing Monday before a juvenile court referee, the prosecution described the student has having interest in Nazi Germany.
"His self-appointed nickname on social media is Adolf Hitler," said assistant prosecutor Anthony Marek.
It's also alleged that the threat may have been sparked by the break-up of a girl he had been dating for a week.
"I don't think the threat was credible at all. But I can certainly appreciate the police. Nobody can get inside somebody's head, but hopefully, as the weeks go by, we'll have time to sort out all the details," said defense attorney Scott Grabel.
The student does not have a criminal history and is an advance placement student.
Investigators said there were nine guns in the student's home, some of which he had access to.
"There were weapons at the house, they were taken into custody for safe keeping until the whole circumstance had a chance to be determined," said Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard.
A sweep of the school didn't turn up anything dangerous.
Message from principal to parents:
I want to make you aware of a situation that we have been managing over the past 36 hours. Over the weekend, an MHS 9th grader posted a series of violent threats via the social media app "Kick." One of the students who received the message informed his/her parents. The parent then contacted the Milford Police. Working in conjunction with Police Liaison Eric Delanoy, the Oakland County Sheriff conducted an investigation. As a result of the investigation, the student was taken into custody Saturday evening, where he remains. The student will have a hearing in juvenile court involving the Oakland County Prosecutor. While this information is not being released to the media at this time, it is possible that students will know about it and be talking about it.
I want to assure you that the systems we have put in place worked as they should. Students who were aware of the threats did precisely the right thing and our relationships with our law enforcement agencies allowed us to share information to aid the investigation and protect the safety of our staff and students.
Please feel free to contact my office if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
HU
Kevin McKenna, Principal
Milford High School