A high school student in West Newbury, Massachusetts is facing a felony charge after police say he threatened other students on social media.
Police said Tuesday a sophomore at Pentucket Regional High School was arrested after authorities were notified about social media posts in which the suspect allegedly made threats to commit a violent act at the school.
Police began to investigate earlier this week after a rumor circulated that the student, 15, had allegedly made threats over social media.
Police said at first, they found no direct evidence of a threatening post.
On Tuesday evening, however, police received information about new social media threats made by the West Newbury teen. The information was reported by students and families, police said.
After an investigation and executing a search warrant, police arrested the student Wednesday morning.
West Newbury Police Chief Jeffrey Durand praised the community for their efforts in alerting authorities to the issue.
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"Our community is our eyes and ears, and this case exemplifies the principle of 'if you see something, say something,'" Durand said. "In this situation, members our community were not willing to tolerate threats against their high school, and they came forward to police."
Police said they do not believe there is any danger to the school community but out of an abundance of caution, there would be an increased police presence at the school on Wednesday.
The suspect was expected to be arraigned Wednesday in Lawrence Juvenile Court. He is facing a single felony count of threat of dangerous items to disrupt a school.
