By Scott Bolthouse | The Huron Hub
ScottBolthouse@HuronHub.com
Posted Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2023

Two teens in Huron Township were arrested this week for alleged threats they made against the Huron School District and classmates.

Police say the threats were unrelated to each other.

At 7 p.m. on Monday, the Huron Township Department of Public Safety received information regarding a threat made to Renton Junior High School.

The threat was made on social media to another student.

Police say the social media post threatened to blow up that student’s house and come to school today and “shoot.”

The Huron Township Police Department school resource officer, along with the Detective Bureau, responded to investigate and worked throughout the night.

Huron School District Administration was notified and worked closely with investigators.

At 9:00 p.m. Monday, a 14-year-old Huron Township student was taken into custody regarding the threat.

The juvenile’s parents were cooperative with the investigation, and it was determined that the teen did not have access to weapons within his home.

The juvenile was transported to the Wayne County Juvenile Detention Center pending review for charges by the Wayne County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

“Our top priority was to quickly identify and locate the suspect who made this threat. Our investigators worked into the early morning hours to make sure the students were able to safely attend school today. The investigation ultimately revealed that the student did not have immediate access to a weapon, at least within his home. However, we will always overact rather than underreact when it comes to the well-being and security of our kids,” said Everette Robbins, director of public safety.

At 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, Huron Township Public Safety received information regarding an in-progress threat situation at Renton Junior High School.

Police say a parent of a student reported to Huron School District Administration, who immediately reported to police, that another student posted on social media overnight that he was coming to school for a “man hunt.”

At the time the threat was reported, the student was on a Huron School District school bus heading towards the school.

The Huron Township Police responded immediately at the student was taken into custody with the assistance of Huron School District Administration as they arrived on the bus at the school.

Police arrested a 13-year-old Huron Township resident and Renton Junior High School student.

The investigation is currently ongoing, and the student will be transported to the Wayne County Juvenile Detention Center pending review for charges by the Wayne County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.

“This was a situation where we had a student potentially with a weapon on one of our in-transit school busses. Fortunately, with the immediate assistance of school administration, we were able to quickly locate the student and take him into custody. Our hope was to take him into custody with as minimal of a disruption as possible for the other students. Although the investigation is ongoing, it appears that the student posted this because they thought it was funny. There is absolutely nothing funny about this and they will have some time to think about the humor of it sitting inside the Wayne County Juvenile Detention Center tonight. As always, I urge parents to once again have this talk with their students. It is not fair to the kids who want to get an education to have these continual disruptions. They deserve the feeling of safety and security when they arrive at school, and we will do whatever it takes to make that a reality for them,” Robbins said.

Superintendent Donovan Rowe released a statement on the threats Tuesday morning.

“This morning, a student posted on Snapchat stating that he had a gun. The Renton administrators contacted the police department, and the student was located and brought to the office. The student did not have a weapon and stated that the post was a joke; nevertheless, the Huron School District takes these situations very seriously, and the student was taken into custody. Due to the significant community impact that these types of incidents can have, we are asking for parents and educators to help us in communicating to our students the severe impact these “pranks” can have on students, parents, and staff. Please talk to your son or daughter, stressing the importance and potential impact that their language can have on the school community, whether that is in the form of a verbal statement, note, graffiti, or social media post. Please take time to reinforce that jokes about threats, inappropriate graffiti, and/or threatening language of any kind in a school setting is not funny and will be taken seriously by school officials and law enforcement. Student safety is our primary concern, and we will continue to work closely with the HTPD to keep our schools safe. It is unfortunate that, like many other school districts, we found ourselves dealing with inappropriate graffiti. Nevertheless, I want to thank you for your patience and trust in our process as we continue to work to keep our students safe. We have wonderful families in Huron, with great kids. If we all work together, we can help keep our kids safe. I appreciate your support in this area,” Rowe said.

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