Investigators looking into an alleged threat aimed at White County Middle School have determined it was a “hoax.”
“There is no evidence to support an imminent threat to the school,” the White County Sheriff’s Office announced on social media late Thursday afternoon, January 12.
Officials say a juvenile suspect has been identified and charges are pending.
Sheriff’s investigators, with assistance from the GBI, began looking into the alleged threat on January 11 after some middle school students reported seeing a TikTok video of someone threatening the school.
“We at White County School System take the safety of our students, staff, and community very seriously. So, we asked our law enforcement partners to investigate the rumor and add extra presence at our schools,” said White County Assistant School Superintendent Scott Justus.
The sheriff’s office alerted the public to its investigation saying “we are taking this situation seriously and it will be investigated to the fullest capacity.” The agency also announced it would increase patrols on White County school campuses until further notice. That expanded law enforcement presence will continue.
The White County Sheriff’s Office says it will “conduct extra patrols with both marked and unmarked vehicles as we are currently doing at all of our schools for the next couple of days.”
The sheriff’s office thanked the public, White County School System, and GBI for their “prompt response and input into this investigation.” The school system sent out a statement Thursday evening thanking the sheriff’s office for its “swift and thorough investigation.”
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Dean Dyer of WRWH Radio contributed to this report
