Investigators say West End High School Snapchat threat was fake

A purported threat at West End High School in Walnut Grove that sent angry parents to social media complaining that they weren’t sufficiently notified about it was a hoax, authorities said Thursday.

A joint statement from Etowah County Sheriff Jonathon Horton and Etowah County Schools Superintendent Dr. Alan Cosby said screen shots from a Snapchat account that have been shared on social media, containing the threat, were faked.

Investigators following up on leads in an earlier but unrelated case obtained a confession Wednesday from a different juvenile, who they say confessed to making that post, then sharing it with an adult for the promise of money.

The statement said that juvenile is “being handled in the juvenile court system.” The investigation is ongoing and more charges are possible.

West End High School:Etowah sheriff, school system investigating reported threat to West End High School

A verbal threat authorities say was made by another student was reported on Sept 8, and West End faculty alerted an Etowah County deputy who was on duty as a school resource officer. A joint investigation with the sheriff’s office Investigation Division and the Board of Education was launched; the suspect was removed from school according to the board’s protocols; and a visit was made to the suspect’s home, which revealed no firearms or access to firearms.

Authorities say that incident was addressed through proper channels.

The statement noted that the dissemination of the subsequent Snapchat post “has caused alarm and trust issues with the Etowah County school system and law enforcement,” and has resulted in multiple students missing school time.

“This is a prime example of believing everything that is shared on social media and continuing to share, and not letting law enforcement and school personnel do their job, and the public not trusting the process,” the statement read. “These type cases mostly involve juvenile defenders and some information cannot be distributed to the public due to the privacy of juvenile court cases.”

The sheriff and superintendent reiterated that there is no known or active threat at West End or any other school in the county system, or at any extracurricular activities, and that the “safety and security of students, staff and community as a whole continues to be and will always be the focus.”

This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: West End High School in Walnut Grove reported threat was a hoax