FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. – An 11-year-old boy arrested over the summer in connection to a series of “swatting” threats against Flagler County schools was sentenced Thursday after being adjudicated delinquent, according to the sheriff’s office.
The boy on Nov. 4 pleaded no contest in juvenile court to 15 counts of false report of a bomb, explosive, WMD or firearm, 15 counts of unlawful use of a two-way communications device, 15 counts of disrupting a school function and one count of tampering with physical evidence, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Arrested out of Virginia in July and extradited to Florida, the boy has been ordered by a judge to be held in detention in Volusia County until he can be placed in a high-risk program which involves counseling, mental health treatment and continued education, the release states. Though the length of the program is said to be dependent on a participant’s progress and cooperation with program goals, the sheriff’s office said that the boy is expected to be placed there for 12 to 18 months.
After completing the program, the boy will be allowed to return to Virginia under conditional supervised release for an undetermined amount of time, with restrictions including his use of electronics and monitored internet access, according to the release. Additionally, the boy will owe the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office $46,234.33 in court-ordered restitution for the costs incurred by the investigation and school responses, the release states.
“The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office spent 168 patrol hours responding to schools investigating his false threats. Our Homeland Security and Investigations Section, Cyber Crimes and Criminal Intelligence Unit, and Digital Forensics Unit spent another 755 hours investigating this case and cracking the technology he was using to track this kid down and bring him back to Flagler County to face justice for his actions,” Sheriff Rick Staly said in a statement.
In his July statements announcing the boy’s arrest, Staly said the 11-year-old was responsible for “swatting” calls made in several states, including Nebraska, Kansas, Alabama, Tennessee and Alaska. “Swatting” is a rising trend nationwide where a caller makes fake reports that draw legions of law enforcement to places such as schools, often causing lockdowns.
One of the Flagler County schools targeted was Buddy Taylor Middle School, which the sheriff’s office says received 20 additional threats after the investigation commenced in May. Four other schools — First Baptist Christian Academy, Flagler Palm Coast High School, Old Kings Elementary School and Suncoast Community School — also received threats between May 14 and May 22, according to the sheriff’s office.
News 6 is not naming or showing the boy.
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