Whitehall police accuse 16-year-old of threatening nearby schools
WHITEHALL, Ohio (WCMH) -- A 16-year-old from Whitehall was arrested Thursday after police accused him of threatening to shoot up nearby schools.
At around 7:30 a.m., Whitehall police took the juvenile into custody with assistance from the FBI. The teenager has been charged with swatting, a fourth-degree felony, after he allegedly made threats against schools on an Instagram account.
The suspect is accused of posting a picture of a firearm and making threats toward area schools, according to Whitehall police.
"It appears this individual wanted to scare people," Deputy Chief Dan Kelso said. "With the assistance of the FBI, we are happy we could locate him and arrest him before this went any further."
The teenager did not have a firearm at his residence when arrested, and an investigation into the threats found that they were not credible. Police said he did not threaten -- and does not attend -- any Whitehall schools, but was living there when the threats were made. The suspect had only lived in Whitehall for about a week.