Days after posting mugshot of a boy accused of college menace, sheriff places video of two teenagers on-line

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Across the nation, communities are being battered by a wave of college capturing threats, sparking emergency notifications, pressing group chats and heightened fears amongst dad and mom that their baby’s faculty may very well be the following Parkland or Sandy Hook or Uvalde — or another city hit by mass shootings.

On Florida’s Atlantic coast, Sheriff Mike Chitwood of Volusia County mentioned he bought a few of these identical notifications after he walked his grandchildren to high school this week.

“It simply caught with me as a result of my cellular phone was going off telling me in regards to the different threats. Considering to myself, what number of dad and mom on this nation have finished simply what I simply did,” Chitwood mentioned, “and so they by no means, ever, ever get to carry their cherished one once more.”

Fed up with faculty capturing threats in his group, Chitwood pledged to publicly identify college students accused of constructing such threats.

On Monday, he posted the title and mugshot of an 11-year-old boy arrested for allegedly threatening to hold out a capturing at a center faculty in his county. The choice swiftly drew reward and criticism amid the continuing nationwide debate over what it will take to stem the gun violence plaguing the nation. On Wednesday night he launched one other video on-line exhibiting two extra younger folks, recognized as 16- and 17-year-olds, in handcuffs and being led to jail over what he referred to as one other faculty menace.

The preliminary video posted by Chitwood on-line confirmed what an arrest report described as “numerous airsoft fashion rifles and pistols, magazines, pretend ammunition … and a number of other knives and swords” that investigators say the 11-year-old boy gathered. The footage later cuts to an officer main the handcuffed boy from a squad automotive earlier than he is locked into an empty cell. The boy’s face is incessantly seen within the video, which already has gained tons of of hundreds of social media views.

Then on Wednesday, Chitwood was at it once more, posting a message on-line: “Two extra college students are in custody following a college capturing menace” and including of the kids, “We are going to introduce you to those two within the very close to future.”

Hours later the sheriff posted a Fb video exhibiting two teenagers being led in handcuffs from a legislation enforcement van into separate empty cells. He’s heard saying within the publish: “Go discuss to the households who’ve misplaced a cherished one in a college capturing. These little knuckleheads assume it’s humorous? Go discuss to these dad and mom and see how humorous that is.”

The AP typically doesn’t determine anybody beneath 18 accused of against the law or transmit photos that may reveal their identification.

Chitwood this week advised The Related Press he would not know if publicly shaming accused juveniles will probably be efficient. However he needed to act to get via to college students and their dad and mom.

Because the faculty 12 months began a number of weeks in the past in Volusia County, Chitwood mentioned, his workplace has reported greater than 280 faculty threats in comparison with 352 in all of final 12 months.

“One thing must be finished,” Chitwood mentioned. “The place are the dad and mom?”

Underneath Florida legislation, juvenile court docket information are typically confidential and exempt from public launch — until the kid is charged with a felony, as on this case.

Chitwood has a status of being a tough-talking determine and maintains he’s inside his rights to determine such younger folks.

“I’m not frightened in regards to the 2% that may get handcuffed that anyone would possibly get offended about,” Chitwood mentioned. “I’m frightened in regards to the different 98% which might be attempting to go to high school and stay their regular lives not in worry to get an schooling.”

Daniel Mears, a criminology professor at Florida State College who researches faculty shootings, mentioned the sheriff’s actions are opposite to the spirit of the juvenile justice system.

“Juvenile information had been speculated to be confidential for a purpose. The thought was that youngsters would have a second shot in life,” Mears mentioned.

Nonetheless, Mears mentioned there have lengthy been exceptions for notably heinous crimes, noting faculty threats are handled in another way.

“Faculty shootings are simply actually unbelievably scary and regarding to folks,” he mentioned.

Amongst these applauding the sheriff’s actions is Max Schachter, whose son Alex was murdered together with 16 others in a 2018 mass capturing at Marjory Stoneman Douglas Excessive Faculty in Parkland, Florida.

“We had a tradition of complacency that led to the Parkland faculty capturing. And we won’t be complacent anymore,” Schachter advised AP. “We ought to be holding the people that perpetrate these threats and change into mass shooters to the very best extent of the legislation. And in the end we ought to be holding their dad and mom accountable.”

Chitwood has mentioned he is investigating whether or not dad and mom of children who make threats might be held financially or criminally liable.

The first parents convicted in a U.S. mass school shooting — Jennifer and James Crumbley — had been sentenced in April to not less than 10 years in jail as a Michigan choose lamented missed alternatives that would have prevented their teenage son Ethan from possessing a gun and killing four students in 2021. The dad and mom had been convicted of involuntary manslaughter earlier within the 12 months.

In Winder, Georgia, prosecutors have filed charges in opposition to the daddy of a 14-year-old boy accused of killing two students and two teachers in a latest highschool capturing.

Keri Rodrigues, president of the schooling advocacy group Nationwide Mother and father Union, mentioned what’s wanted is gun management — and enough psychological assist for youngsters in crisis. Surveys present American youth are within the throes of an unprecedented mental health crisis.

“I feel dad and mom throughout the nation are battling what to do with youngsters,” Rodrigues mentioned. “It’s so tough as a result of we don’t have sufficient social staff. We don’t have sufficient faculty psychiatrists.”

Kathleen Miksits is the mom of two center schoolers in Volusia County. She believes college students and oldsters want to grasp the toll these threats tackle their group. Miksits stored her youngsters dwelling sooner or later this week after college students at their faculty was focused by a menace.

Nonetheless, she struggles with the thought that this 11-year-old boy could by no means stay this down.

“Youngsters say issues that they don’t imply. Or they don’t perceive what they’re saying,” she mentioned. “However then again, that is a particularly severe matter and we maintain having youngsters die.”

___

This story has been corrected to indicate an arrest report mentioned the 11-year-old boy had “numerous airsoft fashion rifles and pistols” — not airsoft rifles, pistols.

___ Kate Payne is a corps member for The Related Press/Report for America Statehouse Information Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit nationwide service program that locations journalists in native newsrooms to report on undercovered points.