Student Taken Into Custody Following Online Threat at Gaylesville School

Gaylesville — A student was taken into custody after allegedly making online threats toward Gaylesville School, prompting a rapid response from law enforcement and school officials.

According to Cherokee County Sheriff Jeff Shaver, authorities were alerted to the situation earlier in the day by federal officials. Deputies and school resource officers responded immediately, and the campus was placed on a precautionary secure status while the situation was investigated.

Officials say the student was quickly identified and detained without incident. The individual has since been charged with Terrorist Threats in the First Degree. No weapons were found, and authorities confirmed there is no ongoing threat to the school.

Sheriff Shaver issued the following statement regarding the incident:

“Earlier today, Cherokee County Central Dispatch was notified by the FBI of a social media comment referencing a potential threat toward Gaylesville School.
Dispatch immediately notified School Resource Officers and investigators. Deputies responded to the campus, and the school was placed in a precautionary secure status to help ensure the safety of students, teachers, and everyone on school grounds.

The assigned School Resource Officer, who was already on campus, quickly identified and detained the student within 30 minutes.

We want to ensure our community that currently there is no active threat. The suspect is a student at the school. Deputies took the student into custody and charged the student with Terrorist Threats 1st Degree. No weapons were found.

We believe in being transparent with our community. We understand that parents, school employees, and others may hear about this incident, and we want everyone to know that this matter was taken seriously from the moment we were notified.

We appreciate the FBI for sharing this information promptly, as well as school administrators and staff for their cooperation throughout this response.
The safety of our children, educators, and school staff will always be a top priority. We are committed to doing everything possible to protect our youngest community members and to maintain a safe learning environment for every student.”

Due to the suspect being a juvenile, no additional identifying information has been released. Authorities say the investigation remains ongoing.

CENTRE MIDDLE SCHOOL PLACED ON SECURE STATUS FOLLOWING REPORTED THREAT