Juvenile accused of making threat against Sylvania's Southview High School

2/22/2018
BY NOLAN ROSENKRANS
BLADE STAFF WRITER
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    Southview High School on June 1, 2012.

    The Blade/Amy E. Voigt
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  • Sylvania police on Thursday arrested a juvenile student who made a threat on social media regarding Southview High School, according to police and school officials.

    The student, who was not named by Superintendent Adam Fineske or listed in a police report, posted a video on social media where he threatened the school, although officials did not specify what the threat said. Mr. Fineske said the student is enrolled at the district’s Sylvania Virtual Academy, a pilot online program started in January, so the student was not physically at Southview for most of his classwork.

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    In a letter sent to Sylvania families Thursday, Mr. Fineske said administrators learned of the threat early Thursday morning; a police report indicates the threat was posted at about 10 p.m. Wednesday. School administrators immediately notified police when they learned of the threat. Mr. Fineske said the student was taken into custody almost simultaneously, as police had recognized the student’s voice when they were notified of the video.

    Sylvania schools remained open, though there was an increased police presence at both Northview and Southview high schools. Complicating matters was a vague “SHS threat” that traversed social media.

    Mr. Fineske offered praise for the person who tipped off authorities about the threat. 

    “I think it's a good example that when we know about situations of this nature, if reported we are taking this seriously,” he said. 

    In a separate case, a student in Springfield, Ohio, near Dayton, is in custody, accused of posting a social media threat about carrying out a school shooting that caused districts locally and across the country to take precautions.

    The student was arrested by the Clark County Sheriff’s Office and the Springfield Police Division, according to a news release by the sheriff’s office. Neither agency would immediately release the name of the suspect Thursday.

    Blade news services contributed to this report.

    Contact Nolan Rosenkrans at nrosenkrans@theblade.com419-724-6086, or on Twitter @NolanRosenkrans.