Sheriff: 15-year-old arrested after ‘credible’ threat directed at high school

SOMERVILLE, Tenn. (WMC) - A 15-year-old student of Fayette-Ware High School is in custody after making what the sheriff’s office has called a “credible” threat of mass violence directed at the school.

The student, who has not been identified, was brought into custody from his home Thursday night. He is charged with threatening to conduct mass violence on a school.

The Tennessee Office of Homeland Security reportedly contacted the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) around 5:30 p.m. Thursday, notifying them of the threat.

FCSO says the alert was the result of a multi-state agency investigation that originated out of state, where communications from various social media platforms were intercepted.

Authorities did not disclose what was said online, but say the threat was determined to be credible based on the evidence and information gathered.

The threat was made off of school grounds and outside of school hours, according to FCSO.

Fayette County Schools immediately initiated the district’s disciplinary process in accordance with school board policy once notified of the incident.

The sheriff’s office reports that the teenage suspect remains in custody as of Friday night.

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