Cass County District Attorney discusses recent school threatening incidents

ATLANTA, Texas – The case of a Cass County teenager who was arrested on Sept. 13 for making terroristic threats against a school is currently before the courts.

For reasons of confidentiality in juvenile criminal law, no further information is available.

The incident came 24 hours after schools across the country received threats related to a Snapchat hoax, including schools in Texarkana.

The Cass County District Attorney's Office issued a press release regarding the threats on September 16. The press release was prepared in cooperation with the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Cass County Sheriff's Department.

“[We] would like to address recent incidents over the past week involving threats made against some local schools. Unfortunately, such threats and pranks are becoming more and more common in communities across the country,” the press release states.

According to the press release, the first incident occurred on September 12, “when rumors began circulating on social media, particularly Snapchat, about a threat to local schools.”

“Law enforcement, including the Atlanta Police Department and the Cass County Sheriff's Department, responded quickly by conducting home visits and interviews to determine if there was a credible threat,” the press release said.

No immediate threat was identified, but police presence at schools was increased, the press release said.

After the September 13 threat, police and school officials investigated the matter and were able to trace the threat back to the Cass County teenager.

“When questioned by the police, the youth admitted that the threat was a false report,” the press release states.