LYON TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Three 16-year-old students at South Lyon East High School appeared in juvenile court to face charges stemming from their arrests after making social media posts threatening to either bomb or shoot up their school.
The three appeared in court on Tuesday (Sept. 10), one day after making social media posts.
Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said if students threaten violence against a school or a student, whether they think it’s a prank or not, law enforcement will soon be knocking on their door.
Bouchard said the two South Lyon school threats were among the five reports that detectives have taken in the past five days.
Two of the South Lyon students were charged with making a false report of a threat of terrorism, which is a 20-year felony.
The third student was charged with making an intentional threat to commit violence against a school, which is a one-year misdemeanor.
Two of the students are being held in Oakland County Children’s Village. The third was released to his parents and is not permitted to leave home.
He is also not allowed to use social media or contact the school. Two of the students’ cases will be assigned to court in Washtenaw County, where they reside. The third student lives in South Lyon and is to appear in court on Oct. 3.
The South Lyon case was brought up after a student reported the threatening message to a teacher, who informed the administrators.
The other threats were in Independence Township, Orion Township, and Pontiac.
- On Sunday, the Sheriff’s Office was alerted to a possible threat made via social media towards Clarkston Junior High School. Detectives identified a student who had made the post and met with the student and their parents at their residence. Detectives determined there was no credible threat and that this particular social media post had already been investigated. School administrators have been made aware of the incident.
- On Sept. 6, a school resource deputy and school administration at Pontiac Middle School were made aware by students that another student had made a statement about using a gun to shoot them. A security check was conducted, and no weapons were found. Detectives arrived and began their investigation. School administrators sent the 13-year-old student home pending a threat assessment and virtual parent meeting.
- On Sept. 6, detectives investigated a concerning social media post at Lake Orion High School. The investigation produced no credible or direct threat to the school.
