VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. – The Volusia Sheriff’s Office has arrested an 11-year-old boy for allegedly threatening to carry out a school shooting at a Port Orange middle school.
The boy, who is not being named due to his age, claimed it was all a joke, but he now faces a felony charge.
The incident is the latest in a series of school threats over the past week. Sheriff Mike Chitwood shared a video on Monday, where he warned parents about the situation.
“What we’re going to start doing Monday is, since parents, you don’t want to raise your kids, I’m going to start raising them,” Chitwood said in the video posted to Facebook.
He displayed a table filled with airsoft firearms, fake ammunition, knives, and other weapons. According to the arrest report, the boy showed them off to students on Facetime.
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Chitwood said the boy also had a list of names and targets.
He faces a felony charge for making a written threat of mass shooting.
However, cases like this often don’t lead to trial or conviction.
Criminal defense attorney Alton Edmond, founder of Edmond Law in Brevard County, weighed in on why many school threat cases are handled differently.
“A lot of times you wouldn’t see convictions unless the child is older, let’s say 16 or 17. At that point, they’re more likely to be directly charged as an adult,” Edmond said.
Edmond added that younger children, like the 11-year-old in this case, may not be held to the same level of responsibility due to their age and maturity.
“I think part of the reason why you don’t see convictions is because a lot of the children that participate in these actions are younger and more immature,” he said.
A News 6 investigation revealed that Florida prosecutors haven’t reported a single conviction for bringing a weapon to school over the past five years, despite 40 arrests by law enforcement.
While convictions may be rare, Edmond emphasized that school threats can still have serious consequences, including expulsion.
“To prevent some of these issues, attacking the root causes might be helpful,” Edmond said.
He said a lot of the kids who make threats are often bullied and harassed. Edmond emphasized, though, that it’s never okay to make threats.
He said school staff need to aggressively work to prevent bullying.
Meanwhile, Sheriff Chitwood’s office continues to investigate the case.
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