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Arizona 12-year-old arrested for threatening school has ties to South Milwaukee, police say

GIRL HAS CONNECTIONS TO OUR AREA? ERICA: KRISTIN, AND THAT'S PART OF THE REASON THEY ARE TAKE THE THREAT SERIOUSLY. SOUTH MILWAUKEE POLICE EXPLAIN TO ME THEY RECEIVED A TIP OF A THREAT ON SOCIAL MEDIA ON SATURDAY NIGHT. THEY TOOK ACTION SO STUDENTS COULD GO BACK TO SCHOOL TODAY. IT WAS A THREAT REPORTED TO SOUTH MILWAUKEE POLICE ON SATURDAY NIGHT. A POST ON TIKTOK TO “SHOOT THE SCHOOL” ON MONDAY. >> WE HAD ALREADY IDENTIFIED AN IP ADDRESS THAT WAS REFERRED TO AN ADDRESS IN BUCKEYE, ARIZONA. ERICA: SOUTH MILWAUKEE POLICE CAPTAIN DAN FOURNIER SAYS HIS DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN CONNECTED WITH POLICE IN ARIZONA WHO WENT TO THAT ADDRESS. >> FINALLY IDENTIFIED A 12-YEAR-OLD WHO ADMITTED TO MAKING THE POST. ERICA: A 12-YEAR-OLD GIRL WHO WAS INTERROGATED AND THEN ARRESTED. SHE HAS FAMILY CONNECTIONS HERE? >> CORRECT. FROM MY UNDERSTANDING, THEY USED TO LIVE IN THE CITY AND MOVED TO ARIZONA, WHICH MAKES THE THREAT A LITTLE MORE CREDIBLE. THERE WERE CONNECTIONS TO THE COMMUNITY. ERICA: THE THREATS ARE FRUSTRATIONAL FOR PARENTS OF SOUTH MILWAUKEE MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS. >> THIS IS REALLY TERRIBLE, BUT WE HAVE BEEN SO DISTURBED BECAUSE IT HAPPENS SO OFTEN. ERICA: IS THERE A POSSIBLE MOTIVE HERE? >> I HAVE NO INFORMATION ON AN OBVIOUS MOTIVE, BUT ONE THING THAT INVESTIGATORS HAVE BEEN SEEING IS THAT INDIVIDUALS, ESPECIALLY JUVENILE, DO NOT SEE TO UNDERSTAND THE SEVERITY OF WHAT THEY'RE DOING. ERICA: LAW BOARDS IN BOTH STATES ENCOURAGE PARENTS TO MONITOR THEIR CHILDREN ON SOCIAL MEDIA. >> IF YOU ARE CAUGHT MAKING A THREAT AGAINST A SCHOOL, NOT ONLY WILL THE SCHOOL TAKE DISCIPLINARY ACTION FOR THE CHILD, BUT YOU CAN ALSO BE ARRESTED. KRISTIN: ERICA, THE ARIZONA POLICE HAVE CHARGED THE 12-YEAR-OLD WITH A FEDERAL CRIME? ERICA: THAT INCLUDES MAKING A TERRORIST THREAT. WE ARE STILL WAITING FOR INFORMATION FROM THE MARICOP

Arizona 12-year-old arrested for threatening school has ties to South Milwaukee, police say

South Milwaukee police received the tip late Saturday; the 12-year-old Arizona girl was arrested Sunday

When Nichole Piotrowski received an email about a threat against her sixth-grade son's school, South Milwaukee Middle School, she wasn't surprised. “The days of ding-dong digging where nobody got hurt are over. Now we have bomb threats, shootings, knife threats, death threats, and it's really scary, but we're so jaded because it happens so often,” Piotrowski said. “You don't know when something might really happen or if it's just another stupid, well, stupid kid making a stupid decision, you know?” South Milwaukee police received a tip late Saturday night about a TikTok video threatening to “raid the school on Monday.” Although no specific school was listed, officers believed it was aimed at South Milwaukee Middle School. Captain Dan Fournier of the South Milwaukee Police Department said his department was able to trace the TikTok's IP address to a home in Buckeye, Arizona, about 35 miles west of Phoenix. They began working with Buckeye, Arizona police. “They were more than helpful in speaking to the residence and ultimately identifying a 12-year-old who admitted to making the post,” Fournier said. She was arrested on serious felony charges, including making a terroristic threat. SMPD said the 12-year-old has ties to South Milwaukee and Oak Creek. “From what I understand, they used to live in the city and moved to Arizona, which made the threat a little more believable because there were ties to the community,” Fournier said. 12 News reporter Erica Finke spoke with Buckeye Police Department Public Information Officer Carissa Planalp via Zoom on Monday and asked, “Is there a possible motive here as to why she allegedly decided to make this TikTok threat against a school in the Milwaukee area?” “I don't have any information on an obvious motive,” Planalp said. “But one thing that investigators often see is that individuals, especially juveniles, don't seem to understand the gravity of what they're doing when they make threats against the school, and they don't understand the consequences.” Planalp encourages parents to monitor their children's social media and report any kind of threats on social media to police rather than posting them online. “If you're caught making a threat against the school, not only will the school take disciplinary action against the child, but you could be arrested, and we're talking about criminal charges. We're talking about felony charges,” Planalp said. Despite the threat, Piotrowski said she trusts the school and police to protect her child. “They need to be aware of what they're doing online, whether they're sending things online or receiving things online, because both are just as dangerous,” Piotrowski said.12 News is still waiting for information from the Maricopa County, Arizona, juvenile court on whether charges have been filed against the 12-year-old girl and whether she is still in custody.

SOUTH MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin —

When Nichole Piotrowski received an email about a threat against her sixth-grade son's school, South Milwaukee Middle School, she was not surprised.

“The days of ding-dong digging where nobody got hurt are over. Now there are bomb threats, shootings, knife threats, death threats, and it's really scary, but we're so numb to it because it happens so often,” Piotrowski said. “You don't know when it might actually happen or if it's just another stupid, well, stupid kid making a stupid decision, you know?”

South Milwaukee police received a tip late Saturday night about a TikTok video threatening to “shoot at the school on Monday.” Although no specific school was listed, officers believed the video was directed at South Milwaukee Middle School.

Captain Dan Fournier of the South Milwaukee Police Department said his department was able to trace TikTok's IP address to a home in Buckeye, Arizona, about 35 miles west of Phoenix. They began working with Buckeye, Arizona police.

“They were more than helpful in speaking to the residence and eventually identifying a 12-year-old who admitted to writing the post,” Fournier said.

She was arrested for serious crimes, including making terrorist threats.

According to SMPD, the 12-year-old has ties to South Milwaukee and Oak Creek.

“From what I understand, they used to live in the city and then moved to Arizona, which made the threat a little more credible because there were ties to the community,” Fournier said.

12 News reporter Erica Finke spoke to Buckeye Police Department spokeswoman Carissa Planalp via Zoom on Monday and asked, “Is there a possible motive here as to why she allegedly decided to make this TikTok threat against a school in the Milwaukee area?”

“I have no information about an obvious motive,” Planalp said. “But investigators are finding that those involved, especially the young people, do not seem to understand the seriousness of their actions when they make threats against the school, and they do not understand the consequences.”

Planalp recommends that parents monitor their children's social media and report any kind of threats on social media to the police instead of posting them online.

“If you are caught making a threat against the school, not only will the school have to take disciplinary action against the child, but you could be arrested and we are talking about criminal charges here. We are talking about capital crimes here,” Planalp said.

Despite the threat, Piotrowski said she trusted the school and police to ensure her child's safety.

“You have to know what they are doing online, whether they are sending things online or receiving things online, because both are equally dangerous,” Piotrowski said.

12 News is still waiting for information from the Maricopa County Juvenile Court in Arizona on whether charges have been filed against the 12-year-old girl and whether she is still in custody.

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