2 teens arrested for making threats at Joliet school – NBC Chicago

Joliet police have arrested two juveniles in connection with a series of violent threats against a school district over the weekend, and authorities have filed charges against them.

Those threats led to the decision to keep students home for an e-learning day on Monday. According to police, officers ultimately concluded that the threats were “false.”

In a press release, Joliet police said a 14-year-old girl and a 12-year-old girl were arrested for disorderly conduct in connection with the threats. They are accused of making threats to destroy school property or to cause violence, death or bodily harm against anyone at school.

The older teenager is a student at Joliet West High School, one of the schools affected by the threats.

The threats were directed at numerous schools in Joliet and nearby Plainfield and made the rounds on social media on Sunday.

Detectives identified one of the suspects and met her at her home on Sunday. A search found no weapons and she was released.

On Monday, the same teen was brought to the Joliet police by her mother and apparently admitted to being involved in the threats. She was then taken into custody.

At the same time, a 12-year-old girl was also arrested on charges related to the case. She was accused of helping to spread a threat against Dirksen Junior High in Joliet.

This threat was also deemed unfounded.

Joliet police said they are investigating additional “copycat” posts mimicking the original threats and that the case is ongoing.

The original threats circulated on social media, threatening “two armed students in each school” and providing a list of several schools.

As a result, most schools in Joliet offered e-learning days on Monday, but in-person classes are scheduled to resume on Tuesday. Officials said there will be an increased police presence near schools in the area.