GLOUCESTER COUNTY, Va. — Gloucester County Sheriff Darrell Warren said a student's quick thinking helped his deputies mitigate a potential threat at Page Middle School Thursday.
"It was a threat to do a school shooting," Sheriff Warren said. "It's so courageous of what this young student did and others as well and the others as well."
Warren said a student at the middle school saw a suspicious post with photos on social media by another student. In the post, Warren said the student clearly made violent threats toward other students at the school.
The student who found the post reported it to a school administrator and the administrator quickly notified the school resource officer. The Gloucester County Sheriff's Office posted about the situation on Facebook.
The school resource officers said they identified the person behind the threats as a 13-year-old boy out on suspension. The boy had a suspension carried over from the previous semester, according to the sheriff.
"The saying is don't be a snitch, don't be a narc. That mindset is gone in these days and times. You have to do what you can to protect yourselves and your fellow classmates," Warren said. "It's certainly concerning when this starts the first week of school. I mean, here we are, first week of school."
Deputies went to the boy's home and arrested him on multiple charges, including threats of death or bodily injury on school property, and use of profane, threatening or indecent language over public airway.
Licensed therapist Sharde' O'Rourke, who owns The Mahogany Projek, said kids growing up on social media have access to more things online than ever before. She explained some signs parents can watch out for when they notice their children acting out.
"Unfortunately, it's given people power they wouldn't have otherwise," O'Rourke said. "One of the cool and sometimes hard things with kids is they articulate through behavior and they're developing to articulate through words. So, the posting online, isolating, aggressive or angry behavior. Frustration."
O'Rourke acknowledges it's not easy to talk to your child about a sensitive subject but said it starts with a question.
"What things we consider as small, when we ask how was your day, actually listen! What did you do today? Tell me one great thing that happened, tell me one thing you didn't feel so good about," O'Rourke said. "Worst comes to worst, you can't lose."
Sheriff Warren said deputies did not find any weapons where the teenager lives, but school resource officers treat every potential threat the same way.
The Gloucester County Sheriff's Office is not identifying the 13-year-old at this time.
13News Now reached out to Gloucester County Public Schools, but their offices were closed Friday.