HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — A 16-year-old boy in Hillsborough County faces charges of threatening acts of terrorism after he posted threats to bomb schools on the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office's Instagram.
The comments were posted on a Reel in which deputies explicitly warn students not to make school threats.
The teenager responded to the Reel's message by directly threatening to bomb "every school in the county" and claiming that he had put explosives "set to detonate tomorrow at 3:00" in every county school.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office was quickly notified. Detectives from PCSO and STAR went to the boy's home, where he admitted to making those comments online. Deputies did not find any bomb-making materials. The HCSO also checked on local schools and found no evidence of explosives.
The teen is now being charged with three counts of threatening to conduct a mass shooting or act of terrorism, as well as one count of unlawful use of a communications device.
"There is no scenario where this kind of comment is a joke or funny," said Sheriff Chad Chronister. "We take any threat of violence, especially involving our schools, very seriously. Now, this teen will face the consequences of his reckless actions."
The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office subsequently posted about the incident on its Facebook page:
"These comments were made on our video depicting the serious consequences of making jokes about school shootings.
We weren't joking.
The things you say and write have real consequences. Threats are never a joke and can land you in serious trouble even if you're a minor," the post said in part.