A 14-year-old Montgomery juvenile has been arrested and charged with making a terroristic threat against Opelika High School. The school went on lockdown while police cleared the area on Tuesday.
Police were informed about the possible threat around 10:45 a.m. Tuesday after a school resource officer called the police about a "possible external threat." School officials swiftly locked the school down, and law enforcement began sweeping the area.
Parents were not allowed on the campus while police assessed the threat. Police eventually determined no threat was present and announced no one was harmed or injured.
SEE: Opelika High School on lockdown after 'possible external threat'; Students, faculty safe
On Thursday, police announced that a 14-year-old Montgomery resident had been arrested and accused of a felony charge of making a terroristic threat that locked down the school. According to police, the juvenile called the school and told officials that they were "on their way to shoot up the school."
"Opelika Police Detectives, with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), were able to trace the phone to a residence in Montgomery," Opelika Police said in a statement. "Detectives and members of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) executed a search warrant at the juvenile's residence where they recovered the cell phone in the teen's possession. The juvenile was arrested and transported to Opelika where they are currently incarcerated at the Lee County Youth Development Center."
Due to the suspect's age, their name and gender have not been released to the public. Detectives say they don't know what connection the juvenile has with Opelika and that there is no indication that the suspect had any intention of actually carrying out the shooting.
Police are still investigating the circumstances that compelled the suspect to make a threat to a school to which they had no discernable connection.
This case is the most recent of what seemed like a declining trend in the state of threats made against public schools.
In recent months, police across the state have arrested well over a dozen juveniles for making online or in-person threats to multiple schools.
The trend started in the River Region. What was initially an online threat that caused an abrupt halt to a varsity football game swiftly turned into several schools in Montgomery, Elmore and Autauga Counties being placed on alert over online threats circulating social media.
SEE ALSO: Six juveniles arrested since Sunday over online terroristic threats made to River Region schools
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email craig.monger@1819news.com.
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