‘Unsettling’: Treasure Valley teen in custody for allegedly planning gun attack at school
A teenager made his first appearance in Payette County Magistrate Court on Tuesday and is being held without bond after allegedly threatening to use a firearm on school grounds.
The 15-year-old was arrested Thursday for three felonies and a misdemeanor in an incident that dates back to Sept. 19, according to the Payette County Sheriff’s Office.
The teen lives in New Plymouth but attended a school in Oregon’s Ontario School District, Payette County Sheriff Andy Creech told the Idaho Statesman on Wednesday.
The “threats focused towards the Ontario School District” and there were “no specific threats made towards any schools in the New Plymouth School District,” the sheriff’s office said.
The office said in a news release Tuesday that it was initially provided information by the Oregon State Police before beginning an investigation that ultimately involved the FBI and the Payette County Prosecutor’s Office, and led to an arrest.
The news release did not name any school or school district.
“We understand that this news is unsettling for parents and students of Payette County,” the release said. “The Sheriff’s Office is committed to ensuring the safety of our schools, students, and teachers. The Sheriff’s Office and its investigators are confident this was an isolated incident and we have addressed that concern.”
The release said the 15-year-old faces charges of aggravated assault, a Terrorist Control Act violation and possession of sexually exploitative material. He also was charged with threatening violence on school grounds, the lone misdemeanor.
Because he is a juvenile, his identity will not be made public.
“Due to the nature of this ongoing investigation we are unable to provide additional details at this time,” the Sheriff’s Office said.
Officials said in the release that if parents and students ever have safety concerns regarding their school, they may call the Sheriff’s Office at (208) 642-6000 or report a problem anonymously at (888) 593-2835.
Treasure Valley school districts have not been immune to threats of violence this fall semester.
During the same week as this incident, a Boise student was detained by police after supposedly making a threat toward a pair of schools, Fairmont Junior High and Capital High, according to previous Idaho Statesman reporting. The threat was not deemed credible and no charges were filed.
In the Caldwell School District at the same time, Caldwell High canceled its homecoming parade out of “an abundance of caution,” and then said its homecoming dance would be rescheduled, according to prior Statesman reporting. This happened despite the district saying there was no evidence that any threats were credible.