Police: Ohio Teen To Face Charges Over Threats Made To Keystone Oaks Schools
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- With the help from the FBI in Cleveland, the Mt. Lebanon Police were able to pinpoint the person responsible for making threats against the Keystone Oaks School District.
The parking lots and classrooms sat empty Thursday for the Keystone Oaks School District.
There was no school for students and staff after multiple threats were made against the district.
"We received three separate threats [that] were posted. The original threat came in yesterday afternoon, and then the two subsequent threats were posted yesterday evening," said Jason Haberman, Mt. Lebanon deputy chief of police.
Haberman tells KDKA all of them came from the same person in Brooklyn, Ohio.
"It's a juvenile, and it turns out that the individual was in a chat room with a couple of others that currently we're investigating to determine their identities," he said.
KDKA asked why someone from Ohio would want to do something like this. Haberman says the teen was motivated by gift cards.
"Or some type of online gift cards to be sent, that this individual would go ahead and post a threat to the school district," he said.
He says the threats were about blowing up the school and that it would happened on April 25.
However, Haberman says the teen didn't actually have the means to do any of it.
Details on our investigation into threats at @KOGoldenEagles : pic.twitter.com/VX4Koc7W30
— Mt. Lebanon Police (@MtLebanonPolice) April 25, 2019
Haberman adds this threat is not connected to previous threats made at the district this year.
Mt. Lebanon Police say this investigation is far from over. Now, their focus will be on finding out if anyone local was involved.
In a statement posted to their website, district officials say:
"The safety of our students and staff is the District's number one priority and we do not take these situations lightly. Administrators will continue to work to ensure that anyone involved is held accountable in accordance with District policies and applicable laws.
"Thank you, as always, for your continued support and your partnership in keeping Keystone Oaks students safe."
Visit their website here for further updates.
