Maryland teen arrested, accused of making threats against Oxford High School
(CBS DETROIT) - A 17-year-old boy from Baltimore, Maryland, has been arrested after he allegedly threatened to shoot up Oxford High School, the Oakland County Sheriff's Office said.
The teen was arrested Thursday, Aug. 24, and is charged with multiple crimes, including threats of mass harm and improper use of a telephone, the sheriff's office said in a press release. Investigators do not believe the threats were prompted by the November 2021 shooting at the school.
"We will work to hold anyone, anywhere, accountable for threats they make against our community," said Oakland County Sheriff Bouchard. "In this case, we partnered with the Maryland State Police to do just that. I thank our team for its swift work and thank the Maryland State Police for their partnership to run this down."
An investigation began after authorities were notified of an OK2Say tip from Michigan State Police, the sheriff's office said in a press release.
On Aug. 14, investigators interviewed three 14-year-old girls and a 39-year-old woman from Oxford Township about a series of threatening phone calls they received. The 17-year-old reportedly told one of the girls that he was going to shoot up Oxford High School, "and the student was going to be next," the sheriff's office said in a press release. The teen also reportedly made sexual comments to at least one of the girls and a woman, authorities say.
Authorities linked the phone number used to an address in Maryland, where Maryland State Police interviewed the teen. Police say he confessed to making the threats and wrote a letter of apology.
Investigators believe the teen boy obtained the phone numbers through a mutual acquaintance who went to school in Michigan but no longer lives in the state.
"We run down threats with a sense of urgency and greatly appreciated that they do as well," Bouchard said. "Whether a threat is intended to be carried out or not, it terrifies people and is a crime. "
