FISHERS, Ind. — Police have arrested two Fishers teenagers in just two days for allegedly making threats at a local school.
Even though the alleged threats were just 24 hours apart, police said they’re not connected.
On Wednesday, Fishers police arrested a 13-year-old girl for allegedly making a verbal threat against Riverside Junior High School. The teen’s arrest followed an investigation after the school, police and school resource officers learned of the alleged threat which police later found not to be credible.
The teen has been charged with intimidation, a level 6 felony and released to her parents.
Hamilton Southeastern Schools notified parents of the threat Wednesday, saying the administration and school resource officers were immediately made aware:
"Dear HSE Families:
A social media threat of school violence has been received in one of our school buildings today. All threats of school violence are taken seriously and immediately reported to the Fishers Police Department for investigation. The investigation has determined that there is no active or ongoing threat to our schools, but as always, HSE and FPD will continue to remain diligent. Due to the unfortunate and tragic incident that occurred in Michigan recently, we wanted to be sure that we communicated this with you. We are proud of the students who reported these safety concerns to administration and our SROs."
On Thursday, Fishers Police arrested a second teen, a 13-year-old male. That arrest came after the school and police were notified of an alleged verbal threat involving a bomb at Riverside.
Investigators found no bomb. The male student was charged with felony false informing and was also released to his parents.
Police said they hope the arrests send a message that these kinds of actions will not be tolerated and have serious consequences.
The arrests come a week after Fishers Police and the Hamilton Southeastern School District were planning a virtual town hall to discuss their response to threats in schools. Fishers police said the meeting was in response to concerns after the recent school shooting in Oxford, Michigan that left four students dead and several injured.
That virtual town hall is still planned for next Thursday.
Hamilton Southeastern Schools uses an anonymous reporting system that people can use to alert them about possible threats to the district’s schools, through an app called HSE Report It!
According to the district’s school safety website, the app “allows students, staff, and community members to provide anonymous information about concerns for their own safety or the safety of others.”
The app can be found and downloaded on Google Play or Apple's App Store. It allows anonymous reports to be made "exclusively through the mobile app," the district said, and it "has no length limitations or the need to remember a short code."
According to the school safety website, when you make an anonymous tip via the app, you can attach photos, screenshots, videos, documents, or audio recordings. The person reporting the tip can also have a two-way conversation with an actual person.
The district issued a statement about the recent alleged threats:
“All threats of school violence are taken seriously and immediately reported to the Fishers Police Department for investigation.
Parents should remind their students that any threat – even if they think it is a joke -- will result in consequences. Students will face disciplinary measures as outlined in the Student Handbook. Further, a student’s actions in regard to making a violent threat(s), may result in criminal charges at discretion of local law enforcement.
School safety is all of our responsibility. We will continue to remain diligent in our efforts to keep our students and staff safe while in our care.”
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