FREDERICK, Md. — A 13-year-old Frederick County teen has confessed to creating a fake Instagram identity and generating false school threats against Ballenger Creek Middle School (BCMS) this week.
He admitted to Frederick County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) detectives the he created the account and that it was done as a “joke.”
The juvenile denied having any plans to shoot anyone and stated he saw the TikTok challenge and created the false account and posts. Detectives received a consent to search his room and did not find any weapons.
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The investigation is still ongoing and charges are forthcoming, but will include at minimum threats of a mass attack.
“Our FCSO School Resource Officers (SRO), detectives, and patrol teams worked relentlessly to track down this threat,” said Lt. Jason Deater, FCSO SRO commander. “Through the use of technology and working with social media providers, we quickly identified the user and immediately made contact, which led to the confession.”
Officials say that although this threat has been investigated, there will still be an increased police presence at BCMS and throughout the Frederick County school system on Friday.
The FCSO will exhaust all efforts by bringing in additional deputies, community deputies, and detectives to patrol schools throughout the county.
Additionally, expect an increase of mobile unit patrol checks of all Frederick County schools.
If you have any information that can assist FCSO in identifying the individual(s) other school threats are coming from, please call 301-600-1046. You can also report this anonymously by emailing FCSOtips@frederickcountymd.gov.
