Texas A&M authorities launched an investigation Monday after a university staff member received an electronic bomb threat. During their investigation, detectives traced the IP address back to a computer located within the Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District.
Baytown police were then contacted by the Texas A&M Police Department and further investigation led them to a 16-year-old student, who reportedly confessed to sending the message as a prank.
"This threat, and any like it, has to be taken very seriously," Baytown Police Chief Keith Dougherty said in a statement. "The public wants to know that our schools and children are safe. We want the public to know that pranks of this nature will not be tolerated, and that those who participate in them will be caught and punished to the fullest extent possible."
The student was arrested and transported to the Baytown City Jail where he was processed and later released to the custody of his parents. Charges of terroristic threat against an institution, a third-degree felony punishable by 2-10 years imprisonment and a fine up to $10,000, were accepted Monday by the Harris County District Attorney's Office. School officials are also taking action against the student and advised that he would be assigned to the School Community Guidance Center (SCGC) for the next 30 days.
