ST. GEORGE — Washington County schools will see an increased police presence after a student sent text messages threatening a school shooting earlier this week.
St. George Police Department released a statement Tuesday evening, alerting parents to the situation. According to the release, a School Resource Officer investigated a text thread that was sent to multiple people outlining a possible school shooting at Snow Canyon Middle School on Wednesday.
After further investigation, the SRO learned the identity of the sender. After an interview with the student and his parents, the student was arrested and taken to Juvenile Detention Center. The student is facing a third-degree felony.
The Washington County School District is aware of the threat, and officials are asking students, faculty and parents to stay alert and report any suspicious activity.
Later last week, Snow Canyon Middle School students and parents also received an email from Principal Brad Bench informing them that a shooting threat had been discovered. The threat was written in pencil and left on a calculator cover.
“In the spirit of transparency,” the email read, “we want to make you as parents aware of this incident to make an informed decision for your child.”
Bench told parents the SRO had investigated the incident and found no evidence to support the validity of the threat.
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