Clearwater Police apprehended a student from Oak Grove Middle School on Thursday afternoon following his threat to blow up a classroom.
Several fellow students informed school authorities and a school resource officer about the incident, reporting that the suspect had issued the threat during an enrichment class on Wednesday. When another student asked if he cared about his friends being killed, the suspect said he loved his friends, but they would all die with everyone else.
Subsequently, the suspect confessed to making the statement, albeit insisting that it was intended as a joke. Despite an exhaustive search, no suspicious device was discovered on the campus situated at 1370 S. Belcher Road.
The 14-year-old, currently enrolled in the eighth grade, faces charges for making a threat to employ a destructive device. Law enforcement officials transported him to the Pinellas County Juvenile Assessment Center.
Clearwater Police underline the seriousness of the matter by reminding students that making threats pertaining to school safety is not a matter to be taken lightly. Regardless of the intentions behind the statement, be it intended humor or otherwise, such actions can result in criminal prosecution.