Second middle schooler arrested in 4 days for Delaware school threats, none credible

Multiple teens have been arrested and charged in recent days for threatening violence at two middle schools in Kent County, according to police.

The incidents were unrelated, and none of the threats were determined to be credible, police said.

The Smyrna Police Department said Monday that they arrested a 13-year-old boy for threatening a shooting at Smyrna Middle School, where the teen is a student. The student posted a TikTok video “alluding to a shooting” at the school, according to police.

Smyrna School District said in a statement Monday evening that they were alerted to the incident that morning, but that the video itself was posted on Friday. The TikTok is “related to the ongoing national trend of similar threats being shared nationwide,” according to police, and was not credible.

“School safety is paramount to the Smyrna School District,” the district wrote in the statement. “Thank you for monitoring your child’s phone and social media accounts.”

The student who posted the video was charged with terroristic threatening. He was arraigned in family court and released on a $500 unsecured bond with mandatory pre-trial services.

Earlier threat at Dover Middle School

Late last week, another 13-year-old boy was arrested on the same charges for threatening Dover Middle School, which he did not attend. The teen made three 911 calls from the same number advising that there was a bomb at Dover Middle School and that there would be a shooting, according to police.

Dover police said officers were sent to the school to assist school resource officers already on the scene. Capital School District ultimately decided to continue with dismissal as usual, but posted on Facebook that they canceled all after-school activities and programs “in an abundance of caution.”

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Police then worked with K-9 units to determine that the school was safe, and later identified the boy who made the threats. He was charged with terroristic threatening and malicious interference with emergency communications and was released to a guardian.

Send story tips or ideas to Hannah Edelman at hedelman@delawareonline.com. For more reporting, follow them on X at @h_edelman.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Smyrna student second teen in 4 days charged with school threats