Sioux City, Iowa — As rumors of school shootings spread on social media, six Sioux City students have been charged with harassment — accused of creating online threats against schools in the community.
Sergeant Jeremy McClure is with the Sioux City Police Department.
McClure says some of the threats were tracked down before school in Sioux City started Friday, then police were notified of a possible copy cat message.”
McClure says Sioux City Police received a report that one student told others he was planning to bring a gun to school Friday — other alleged threats were made against two different middle schools — and videos posted to TikTok allegedly showed several students from Sioux City East High School brandishing their phones like guns. McClure says parents need to know what their kids are doing on social media.
Also Friday, central Iowa authorities announced five middle school students face charges for alleged threats at their West Des Moines school last week. According to a news release from West Des Moines Police, two students will be charged with terrorism and three other students will be charged with first degree harassment. The Iowa Department of Public Safety has been monitoring potential online threats to schools in Iowa, but according to a statement from the agency, none have been identified as credible. A 12-year-old in Dubuque faces a terrorism charge for posting a threat on social media.
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Original story, posted 2:16 pm, 12/15/2021
https://kiwaradio.com/local-news/two-teens-arrested-after-sioux-city-high-schools-placed-on-lockdown-over-threat/
