CORNELIUS, N.C. — A 13-year-old in Texas has been linked to threats made against Hough High School last week, Cornelius Police said.
Detectives with the Cornelius Police Department interviewed the teen last week after an initial investigation linked threats to a device in Texas. Detectives seized multiple electronics from the suspect, who hasn't been identified due to their age.
"Please know, the safety and security of our staff and students remain our priority and we will keep working hard on these cases," Cornelius Police posted on Facebook Tuesday.
Hough was placed on modified lockdown twice last week. One was for an online threat, while the other was due to a bomb threat at nearby Bailey Middle School. The middle school was evacuated and investigators determined there weren't any explosives inside the school. These incidents were among several school threats in the Charlotte area since the Apalachee High School shooting in Georgia earlier this month.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools confirmed on Monday it increased security at several middle and high schools after online threats. It's unclear if detectives have identified a suspect or determined if those threats were connected.
Multiple arrests have been made in connection with threats in Caldwell, Cleveland, Gaston, Iredell and Union counties. In addition, at least 21 teens have been charged in connection with threats made against at least 60 schools in South Carolina, state officials said last week.
"There's a TikTok trend or a social media trend going right now where it's cool, it's a popular thing to do to share those school threats," Lt. James Maye with the Union County Sheriff's Office said.
Maye said every threat they've investigation has turned out to be not credible, but all threats are taken seriously.