Middle school student arrested after alleged ‘bomb threat’ to Port St. Lucie school

PORT ST. LUCIE − A 14-year-old Southport Middle School student was arrested after Port St. Lucie Police reported linking him to a “bomb threat” to the school, police stated Oct. 20.

Police began investigating Oct. 19 after calls from parents about a video regarding “a bomb threat to Southport Middle School that was circulating on TikTok,” police stated.

The school is in the 2400 block of Southeast Morningside Boulevard, west of U.S. 1 and just south of Southeast Port St. Lucie Boulevard.

A screen shot of the video had letters reading, “On Monday The 20th Southport middle Is getting bombed by me Stay home alright,” police stated.

Police reported investigating the TikTok account that reportedly posted the video and the IP address. Investigators ultimately were led to a home in Port St. Lucie where police reported identifying a 14-year-old Southport Middle School student as the person who posted the video.

“The investigation revealed that the threat was meant as a prank and that the juvenile did not possess any bomb making materials,” police stated.

He was arrested on a felony charge of electronic threats to kill, do bodily injury, or conduct an act of terrorism, police stated.

A message from Principal Brie Lamb was sent to Southport Middle School parents about 8:30 p.m. Oct. 19 regarding the incident, according to Lydia Martin, chief communications officer at St. Lucie Schools.  The message stated an investigation into the social media post was ongoing.

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“At this time, there is no evidence to suggest that the threat is credible,” the message from Lamb stated. “However, out of an abundance of caution, we will have increased security on and around campus tomorrow (Oct. 20).”

A follow-up message from Lamb went out about 8:30 a.m. Oct. 20, stating officials investigated and “deemed the threat to be not creditable.”

“Anyone making threats whether joking or not will face serious consequences including suspension, expulsion, and arrest,” Lamb’s message stated.

Will Greenlee is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm. Follow Will on X @OffTheBeatTweet or reach him by phone at 772-267-7926. E-mail him at will.greenlee@tcpalm.com.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Teen arrested after alleged ‘bomb threat’ to Southport Middle School