Detectives question student after threat to school

A Sarasota high school had a strong law enforcement presence Tuesday morning as detectives questioned a student who made threatening statements about the school on social media, according to the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office.

Early Tuesday morning, the sheriff’s office received a report about a student posting a video on Snapchat showing what may have been the butt of a gun and potentially threatening Riverview High School, according to a news release. The school was placed on a limited lockdown by school officials and deputies immediately responded to the campus.

Detectives found the student who had posted a photo with the threatening statements on social media, and the student was being interviewed, according to the sheriff’s office.

“While the video in question is no longer accessible, the juvenile and his family are cooperating with detectives,” sheriff’s office spokeswoman Kaitlyn Perez said in an update. “The juvenile denied making any threats or creating a video involving the depiction of a firearm.”

The incident will be classified as suspicious, according to the sheriff’s office.

“As a reminder, the sheriff’s office takes all allegations and threats related to Sarasota County very seriously,” Perez said. “Students should be reminded to make smart decisions while utilizing social media and never post photos, videos or language that threatens anyone.”

This story was originally published January 30, 2018 at 10:16 AM with the headline "Detectives question student after threat to school."