Deer Park HS student arrested for threat on social media

DEER PARK, TX (KTRK) -- A Deer Park student has been arrested after posting a threat on social media. The events that led to her arrest began Tuesday night.

"A group of juveniles were using Twitter to communicate," said Lt. Chris Brown of the Deer Park Police Department. "One of the juveniles threatened with a shooting of the South Campus. That post was (captured on a) screen shot and sent to other people."

Some students who saw the threat told their parents, who in turn called the school and the police. Deer Park investigators visited the student's home early Wednesday morning, and she was arrested.

The student was charged with exhibition of a fire arm, according to officials. It is a technical charge that applies even if the student doesn't actually own a weapon.

"We absolutely take every threat seriously, you have to," said Matt Lucas of Deer Park ISD. "In this case, it became clear to the police that this threat was probably not a danger."

Deer Park police searched the teen's home and found no weapons. They told the school that the student intended the threat to be a joke on a friend, and there's no indication any other students were involved. They added that it appears the student had no intention of carrying out the threat at all.

As a precaution, security has been increased at South Campus.

"I never thought a girl would actually threaten a school like that," said student Tristan Anderson.

A letter was sent from Deer Park ISD authorities to parents to make them aware of the situation. The community is encouraged to report any suspicious behavior to the police or to the school district safety office.