Student threatens to shoot another student via text

HOT SPRINGS, AR - Instead of riding the bus home on the last day of school, one Lakeside Junior High student is in police custody.

"We have confirmed there was a threat made to one of our junior high students," said Lakeside Superintendent Shawn Cook in a voicemail sent out to parents in the District.

"There was a rumor going around that some kids were going to have a shootout or some kids were going to get killed," said Lakeside Junior High student Jessica Small.

It took less than an hour for Cook to get to the bottom of the rumors while the school went on major lockdown, Thursday.

"Somebody was supposed to come to our school and shoot some kids," said Cook.

Cook says a Junior High student posted on Facebook that he got a threatening text message from an anonymous number. Scared, the student deleted the text before police could trace it.

"Parents were very concerned," said Cook. "Calling the buildings, trying to get all the information that they could get."

"I was very hysterical, very upset because I've got two girls there," said Lakeside parent Diana Defroe.

Friday, Superintendent Cook says another student's mother turned in a stolen cell phone with the threatening text still on it.

"After that the young man admitted that he was the one who sent the text," he said. "The student who made the threat is in custody and we are pressing charges to the fullest extent possible. You may save the life of another child by reporting things. Even when it comes to your own children."

Superintendent Cook says the student never brought any weapons onto campus. Police say exact charges are pending since the student is a minor.