Police: Boy who posted he was going to ‘shoot up’ Oregon High School said he just wanted to get out of school

OREGON — The 12-year-old Oregon boy who is charged with making a “threat of violence” against Oregon High School in September appeared Tuesday in Ogle County juvenile court for a third time and remains in the custody of his mother.

The boy is charged with making a terrorist threat and disorderly conduct, both felonies. Those charges, according to court records, are the result of a post on social media that said: “I am going to shoot up Oregon High School on Sept. 20, 2024 at 12:30 p.m.”

Oregon Police Matt Kalnins was made aware of the threat by an FBI agent at 3:30 p.m. Sept. 18, court records indicate. The boy is accused of creating a false Facebook account using the name of a classmate and then making the threatening post from that site using a school-issued Chromebook.

According to state statute, a person “commits the offense of falsely making a terrorist threat when in any manner he or she knowingly makes a threat to commit or cause to be committed a terrorist act ... or otherwise knowingly creates the impression or belief that a terrorist act is about to be or has been committed, or in any manner knowingly makes a threat to commit or cause to be committed a catastrophe as defined ... that he or she knows is false.”

Disorderly conduct is the “unlawful interruption of the peace, quiet, or order of a community, including offenses called disturbing the peace, vagrancy, loitering, unlawful assembly, and riot”.

Court records say FBI agents determined that the IP address for the post came from the boy’s home and not the classmate’s, who told police he only knew the boy through playing the video game “Fortnite”.

Police officers quickly determined the 12-year-old did not have access to weapons.

Kalnins and Oregon Superintendent P.J. Caposey issued a joint news release Sept. 19 stating the agencies had concluded the threat was not credible. Caposey sent a message alerting parents of the “situation” between 8:45 and 9 p.m. Wednesday, Sept.18, following the school’s homecoming parade and bonfire.

“To ensure ongoing security and peace of mind,” Kalnins said Oregon police officers would maintain a strong presence around the school Sept. 20 as well as throughout the weekend’s homecoming festivities.

According to court records, the boy told police he made the post because he was “just messing around” and wrote it because he wanted to get out of school and had not been bullied. He said it was a “dumb mistake” and wrote, in a letter of apology, that he would never intentionally hurt anyone and did not realize the consequences of his actions.

The boy’s first court appearance was Sept. 20 when he was released to the custody of his mother. He appeared again in court Sept. 24, represented by Ashley Davis of Rockford and Assistant State’s Attorney Richard Russo representing the state.

At that hearing, Davis asked Judge John “Ben” Roe Roe to modify the conditions of the boy’s release so other adults could help supervise him as his case proceeds through the court system. Russo did not object and Roe granted that request.

The boy appeared in court again Tuesday with his mother. Davis told Roe she had not yet received a plea offer from prosecutors and asked the case to be continued.

Roe set the boy’s next court date for 1:30 p.m. Nov. 26. Juvenile court proceedings are not open to the public.

The juvenile justice system for youths ages 10 to 18 is different from the criminal system for adults. Offenses are considered delinquent acts rather than crimes, and cases are “adjudicated delinquent” rather than “found guilty.” Adjudication is the process wherein a judge determines whether a juvenile committed an offense.

Names of juveniles charged with offenses are not released to the public.

The information Think Before You Post: Hoax Threats are Serious Federal Crimes can be found on the FBI website. It reads, in part:

In recent months, the FBI and law enforcement around the country have investigated a number of hoax threats of targeted violence against schools and other public places. These threats – often issued via text message or posted on social media – are taken very seriously. Hoax threats are not a joke, and they can have devastating consequences – both for the public and for the perpetrators, according to the FBI.

Issuing a threat even over social media, via text message, or through e-mail, is a federal crime (threatening interstate communications). Those who post or send these threats can receive up to five years in federal prison, or they can face state or local charges, according to the FBI.

“The Bureau and its law enforcement partners take each threat seriously. We investigate and fully analyze each threat to determine its credibility,” said FBI Deputy Director David Bowdich. “Hoax threats disrupt school, waste limited law enforcement resources, and put first responders in unnecessary danger. We also don’t want to see a young person start out adulthood with a felony record over an impulsive social media post. It’s not a joke; always think before you post.”