What to Know
- Poughkeepsie's entire school district was closed twice over threats posted to Snapchat last month
- Police say the girl who reported the threats also posted them to social media
- The 17-year-old was arrested Wednesday on charges that included a felony terror charge
A high schooler who reported an online threat that shut down Poughkeepsie’s entire school district twice in the past month has been arrested for allegedly making the threats herself.
The threats on Snapchat shut down all eight schools in the district on Feb. 28 and March 1 “out of an abundance of caution” as authorities, including the FBI, investigated.
Poughkeepsie Police announced that they’d arrested a 17-year-old girl Wednesday on charges of making a terroristic threat and making a punishable false written statement in connection with the case.
Police say the same girl who reported the threats a month ago posted them to Snapchat. One threat read (sic): “Poughkeepsie high school students take your pick because I’m coming for you on Thursday March 1st.”
The Snapchat post included a list of student names and a picture of five guns, according to police. The 17-year-old’s name was among those on the list, police said.
The girl was arraigned and remanded to Dutchess County Jail on a $20,000 bond.
Local
The FBI said the number of reported threats to schools in the New York area has spiked since the Valentine's Day mass shooting at a school in Parkland, Florida, that killed 17 people.
The Florida school shooting has sparked a nation-wide debate about gun control and school safety. On Wednesday, some students in the tri-state took part in a nationwide walk-out to demand stricter gun laws.
