MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. (CBS12) — A 15-year-old student was arrested Tuesday after threatening Martin County High School, according to the district.
Noah Taylor, a sophomore at the school, was arrested and charged with making a false report concerning the planting of a bomb, a second-degree felony.
The threat was quickly determined to be a hoax, and students and staff remained safe throughout the investigation, according to the school district.
Investigators with the Martin County Sheriff’s Office said school resource officers and Criminal Investigations Division detectives traced the message back to Taylor. During the investigation, Taylor confessed to sending the threat, according to the Sheriff’s Office.
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The threat was reported through FortifyFL, Principal Lori Vogel previously told families. The Sheriff’s Office immediately began investigating and identified the apparent source of the message.
The district notified families Tuesday that an arrest had been made after initially telling parents an arrest appeared imminent.
The Sheriff’s Office said the arrest comes after multiple hoax bomb threats involving schools in the area in recent weeks. Investigators said they can only link Taylor to this specific threat.
School officials said students found to have been involved in making threats could face both school disciplinary action and legal consequences.
The district also reminded families that FortifyFL is an important tool for reporting legitimate safety concerns, but knowingly submitting false information or making a false threat can have serious consequences.
“False threats are neither harmless nor funny,” Vogel said, adding that they can cause fear, disrupt learning, and place a burden on students, families, school employees, and law enforcement.
The Sheriff’s Office said threats made anonymously, through text messages, online, or through other electronic communications, can still be traced and investigated.