MIDDLEBORO, MASS. (WHDH) - A 13-year-old boy accused of threatening to harm a large group of students at his Middleborough middle school is facing criminal charges.
Middleborough police received reports from several concerned parents about 9:30 a.m. Sunday who said the boy, whose name was not released because of his age, had threatened their children on Instagram, Middleborough Police Chief Joseph Perkins and Superintendent Brian Lynch said Monday in a joint statement.
After obtaining a search warrant, officers searched the boy’s home and didn’t find any weapons. The threat was deemed non-credible.
“We take threats of any kind seriously,” Perkins said. “There is no such thing as joking around when it comes to violence in school and this type of behavior will not be tolerated.”
The school will be open for its regular schedule on Tuesday.
Lynch said, “I want to thank the Middleborough Police for their efforts in quickly resolving this matter. The safety of our students is our top priority and we applaud the children who told their parents about this incident so that it could be properly investigated.”
The boy will be charged with 8 counts of threatening to commit a crime and making terroristic threats.
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