4 girls arrested after threats over AI tools, arguments and more at Okeechobee Middle School

OKEECHOBEE, Fla. (CBS12) – Threats against multiple people in a group chat led to the arrests of four girls in Okeechobee County late last month. A joint statement from the sheriff's office and school district announcing the arrests also warned parents to pay attention to their children's online activity.

“What may seem like a ‘joke’ to them is no laughing matter to us or the wider community,” it said.

The statement said the incident occurred on September 26 and involved Yearling Middle School; However, it was not said whether some or all of the girls arrested were students there.

The sheriff's office and school district warned parents that they will not tolerate threats of serious bodily harm or murder, even if they arise from “seemingly trivial matters.”

The statement did not address the nature of each threat, but noted that some of them arose from anger over the inability to use artificial intelligence tools on Chromebooks or from personal disagreements.

“Regardless of the reason, threats to kill or cause bodily harm are not taken lightly and perpetrators must expect arrest and prosecution,” it said.

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Anyone who faced a threat has been identified by law enforcement and has already been contacted, the statement said, adding: “If you were not notified, you were not a victim.”

The sheriff's office and county administration used the situation to remind parents to be vigilant about their children's online activities. Their joint statement also noted that even when apps are blocked or restricted, children tend to figure out how to get around these security measures.

“The vast majority – and an estimated 85-90% – of the problems we face in schools are due to unsupervised or poorly monitored use of social media and other platforms such as Snapchat, TikTok and others,” the statement said .

Authorities did not specify which platform the girls used for the group chat.

The sheriff's office noted that people concerned about potential threats report them through the FortifyFL app or by contacting the Okeechobee County Sheriff's Office at 863-763-3117 or the school district at 863-462-5000 can.

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