Marion County Sheriff Matt Bayles is pleased to announce that an arrest has been made in a case involving threats of violence at Ridgedale High School.
On December 6, 2021, at approximately 8:51pm, The Marion County Sheriff’s Office received a report of threats being made by a student at Ridgedale High School. The threats were posted to the social media app Snapchat and consisted of the comment, “I’m shooting up Ridgedale Thursday.”
Through the course of the investigation, Deputies spoke with numerous witnesses and obtained copies of the social media post. A 16-year-old male was identified as the suspect and he was subsequently located and interviewed. Upon conclusion of the interview, the 16-year-old male was arrested on a charge of Inducing Panic and was transported to the Marion County Juvenile Resource Center where he was held pending a detention hearing. Additionally, digital evidence was collected and will be analyzed at a later time. A search of the suspect’s residence was conducted and no weapons were located.
Sheriff Bayles is thankful to the members of our community that came forward with the information that allowed us to conduct this investigation and bring it to a safe and successful conclusion. Sheriff Bayles stated, “This is a great example of the See Something, Say Something!” Neither violence, nor threats of violence, at or to any of our schools will not be tolerated here in Marion County. The charge of Inducing Panic is a second degree felony and anyone making threats to our schools, staff or students can expect swift and severe punishment as applicable by law.