RITZVILLE, Wash. — A teenager was arrested for making threats against Lind-Ritzville High School on Tuesday, according to Adams County Sheriff’s Office (ACSO).
All classes in the Lind-Ritzville School District were canceled the morning of October 22 after the district said it was made aware of threats made against the high school on the social media app, Snapchat.
“We were sad to see what was coming through on social media – the reports we were getting about threats to our students and staff,” said Superintendent Don Vanderholm.
According to Ritzville Police Department, the threats mentioned the use of a large caliber rifle and bomb.
RPD worked with ACSO and the Hanford Patrol K9 unit to investigate the threats.
ACSO said a 14-year-old boy was arrested for making the threats and that he had used the names of a teacher and a classmate in the threats.
“Through the investigation, we found a list of what appeared to be named targets of the juvenile suspect. Parents were notified if their child was one of the named persons on the list. The next steps in this case is a risk assessment, which will be conducted in collaboration with the Lind-Ritzville School District,” said ACSO.
Natalie Lewis’ grandkids attend the Ritzville Grade School next door to the High School.
She said she was pleased with the district’s decision to cancel school due to the threats.
Lewis said she used the extra time to teach her grandkids a valuable lesson about asking for help.
“I told my kids this morning, I said, ‘Well, this is a time for you guys to learn when there’s something going on with you that you’re unhappy about, be sure to contact someone to talk to them about it before it gets to the point where you feel like you are helpless,'” she said.
The Sheriff’s Office said the school district will create a safety plan for affected students and conduct a threat assessment to determine the suspect’s educational future.
The incident is still under active investigation.
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