Though it was later deemed to be a poor attempt at a joke, Indiana authorities arrested a young teen who posted evidence of a smartphone search related to school violence.
According to The Hill, the 13-year-old boy is accused of using the Siri virtual-assistant feature to declare that he intended to “shoot up a school.”
The results reportedly included information about local schools, Valparaiso police say. When the boy allegedly posted a screenshot of the interaction on social media, the incident caught the attention of investigators.
In a Facebook statement, the agency offered additional information.
The suspect “was visiting family in Valparaiso” at the time of the incident, police claim.
“The male has been identified as a Chesterton Middle School student,” the statement continued. “His social media contacts shared this information with Chesterton Police, who contacted authorities in Valparaiso.”
A subsequent investigation revealed that the suspect “made no direct threat to a specific person, school, or school system” and that he “has no access to weapons and posted the picture on social media as a joke.”
While authorities said they did not believe the threat was credible, the statement noted that “these types of communications are taken very seriously by the Valparaiso Police Department and our community.”
Police say the boy is expected to face a criminal count of intimidation. As of the latest updates available, the investigation remained ongoing, handled by authorities in Valparaiso and Chesterton.
“We continue to work with the Valparaiso Community Schools to ensure the safety of the students and staff,” the Valparaiso Police Department added.
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