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Middle school student arrested, accused of threatening St. Tammany Parish school on social media

Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

SLIDELL, La. (WGNO) — A middle school student in St. Tammany Parish was taken into custody over the weekend after officials say he threatened his school on social media.

According to the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office, the 13-year-old boy, a student at Clearwood Junior High School, took to social media on Saturday (March 18) where he posted photos of himself holding a firearm and making threats toward his school.

The boy was then arrested and booked into the Florida Parishes Juvenile Detention Center in Covington. He faces a single charge of terrorizing.

Following the boy’s arrest, St. Tammany Sheriff Randy Smith is calling on parents to be mindful of what their children post on social media, adding that any and all threats will be taken seriously.

“The safety of our children is of the utmost importance,” Sheriff Randy Smith said.  “We will continue to take threats like this very seriously and will work with our school administrators to investigate any and all threats made toward our schools or to the students and faculty who attend them. Parents, please talk to your children and explain the seriousness of making threats like this, even in a joking manner.”

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