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The Associated Press
WEST VIRGINIA — Six students at two West Virginia high schools have been charged in separate incidents with making terroristic threats, including one who allegedly was planning a school shooting.
State Police arrested a Greenbrier East High School student Wednesday night at his home after receiving a tip from a concerned citizen that the youth was planning a shooting Thursday at the Fairlea school, Trooper W.A. Pendleton said.
The juvenile, who was released to his parents, was scheduled to appear at a juvenile detention hearing Thursday afternoon. Juvenile proceedings are closed and the status of the case was not known.
Pendleton said the juvenile had made threats against two teachers and another student. He said there was no evidence that anyone else was involved.
Five students at Fairmont Senior High -- two boys and three girls -- face similar charges following several incidents that included small fires set at the school, Marion County Prosecutor Pat Wilson said Thursday.
Wilson said all five students were being detained Thursday night.
Rumors of the alleged threats prompted up to 500 Greenbrier East students and about 300 students at Fairmont Senior to stay home Thursday, school officials said. Greenbrier East has 1,200 students and Fairmont Senior has about 875.
Trey Tossone, a junior at Fairmont Senior, went to school Thursday but left early because most of his classes were empty.
“Not a whole lot of a point being there. Teachers couldn’t do anything because there wasn’t anyone to teach,’' Tossone said.
Both schools brought in additional security Thursday.
“We felt school was safe or it wouldn’t have been open,’' Marion County Schools Superintendent James Phares said.
Thursday’s announcements of the arrests came one day after a 14-year-old boy in Cleveland, Ohio, wounded two teachers and two students at an alternative school before killing himself.
“We have to keep in mind that this could happen anywhere, not just in a school, but at a church or elsewhere,’' said Greenbrier County sheriff’s Sgt. Roger White, the prevention resource officer at Greenbrier East.
“We can’t live under a rock. All we can do is try and address everyone’s concerns and keep these kids in a safe and good learning environment.’'