FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – Buddy Taylor Middle School received another threat Thursday morning, marking the third day just this week that the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office says it’s had to respond to and search the campus.
The sheriff’s office on Wednesday said that a male voice over the course of two days had made “swatting” calls to the Flagler County Communications Center and to Buddy Taylor Middle School, each time with threats targeting the latter. Deputies responded each time to search and clear the school as regular schedules were resumed, according to the sheriff’s office.
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Thursday’s called-in threat came in as drop-off began at the middle school, the sheriff’s office said on social media. School buses were again rerouted and the school was again searched by deputies before the all clear was given and regular schedules resumed.
“Swatting” is a rising trend nationwide where a caller makes fake reports that draw an onslaught of law enforcement and cause lockdowns, according to the sheriff’s office. Addressing parents directly, the sheriff’s office said in a statement that it understands their concerns and is working with Flagler Schools to provide updates “as this caller continues to disrupt school operations,” otherwise stating it would be conducting proactive patrols at multiple schools to ease parents’ concerns.
At a news conference Thursday, while investigators continue working to track down the caller, Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said that FDLE, the sheriff’s office’s Homeland Security Section and the FBI were now involved.
“Frankly, we were out ‘til midnight last night following leads and conducting the investigation. This year in our state alone, swatting calls have been made to Bay County, Brevard County, Duval County, Escambia County and Miami-Dade County. Nationwide, swatting calls have been received from Las Vegas to Nebraska targeting everyone from political officials to college campuses. These calls can be made from someone local to someone outside the United States, which makes it difficult to trace, but we are actively pursuing all leads in this investigation,” Staly said.
Anyone with information about the calls is asked to contact the sheriff’s office at 386-313-4911 or via email at TIPS@flaglersheriff.com.
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