WAYNESVILLE, Ohio -- A 12-year-old girl suspected of making threats against local schools this week has been charged with inducing panic and making false alarms, according to the county prosecutor.
The girl threatened Waynesville schools on Thursday and Friday, Warren County Prosecutor David P. Fornshell said on Facebook.
She was taken into custody Friday night, according to the Wayne Local School District, and she'll be arraigned early next week.
The Waynesville Village Police Department thinks she acted alone, Fornshell said.
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It's Warren County's second case involving charges against juveniles because of threats; earlier Friday, authorities arrested three teens in connection with threats against Lebanon High School and Lebanon Jr. High School. Another teen was charged Wednesday.
Fornshell spoke with WCPO Wednesday about the difficulty in determining the credibility of threats like these.
“Neither the school districts nor law enforcement has any way of distinguishing between a credible threat, a troubled student simply acting out, or a ‘bad joke,’” Fornshell said. “As the recent shooting at Madison High School demonstrates, these incidents can happen anywhere at any time, and therefore the school districts and law enforcement must treat each threat as if the safety of all students is at risk.”
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Fornshell said the county has prosecuted at least 17 juveniles for making school threats.
