13-year-old girl charged after threatening to shoot up Carroll County schools
CARROLL COUNTY, Ga. - A 13-year-old girl from Carroll County is facing serious charges after threats to shoot up two middle schools was traced back to her.
The Carroll County Sheriff's Office was tipped off to the social media threats against Villa Rica Middle School and Bay Springs Middle School on September 20.
The posts featured a picture of a handgun. One caption stated," Who's ready for the shootout of the century?"
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There were four threatening posts in total.
Investigators traced the IP address linked to the Instagram account to a residence in Villa Rica. One of the occupants was a teen enrolled at one of the schools mentioned in the posts.
On September 21, the authorities searched her home. She also reportedly admitted to making the threats.
While no firearms were found at the home, several electronic devices were seized for further investigation.
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The girl was charged with two counts of terroristic threats, two counts of disruption of a public school, and possession of a Schedule 1 narcotic for being in possession of a THC vape pen.
She has been removed from the school and her case is being turned over to juvenile court. Additional arrests may be pending.
Since the tragic Apalachee High School shooting, Carroll County school resource officers, deputies and investigators have responded to 36 school-related threat investigations, leading to 20 reports and eight arrests.
"The safety of our students is the top priority," a spokesperson for the sheriff's office said. "The Carroll County Sheriff's Office takes threats like these extremely seriously."
If you have any information related to this incident, please contact investigators at 770-830-5916 or by email at tnorth@carrollsheriff.com.