North Carolina Father in Jail After His Son Posted a Threatening Social Media Post
A father of a Carrboro High School student is behind bars Thursday after his son was seen in a threatening social media post.
- By Sherelle Black
- November 22, 2019
A father in North Carolina faces multiple charges after his son was seen in a threatening Snapchat post.
After a Carrboro High School student reported seeing a Snapchat of another student holding a firearm with language indicating students would be in danger on Thursday, the police department along with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department went to the home of the student.
While authorities conducted a search warrant, they found a handgun and 380 grams of marijuana at the home, reported ABC11.
The student’s father was taken into custody as he was a felon and was not supposed to have a handgun. He was also charged with maintaining a vehicle or dwelling for use, storager, or sale of controlled substances; felony possession of marijuana; and failure to store a firearm to protect a minor, the news outlet reported.
Upon further investigation, authorities learned the student in question did post a snap with a gun, however, it was another student who took his picture and added the threatening language.
"This was a situation where a student exhibited extremely poor judgment by posting a photo of himself holding a weapon on social media. Another student compounded the problem by modifying that photo and generating a threat of school violence," said Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood. "Social media is a powerful tool for connecting people, but it is also a dangerous tool when used inappropriately, which is certainly what happened here today. And the father's failure to properly secure the weapon led to these events."
"A school safety threat obviously represents a danger to the students and staff at the threatened school. Even when the threat turns out to be a hoax, the community experiences increased anxiety, school attendance suffers, and frightened parents flood the roadways attempting to get to their children," said Carrboro Police Chief Walter Horton.
About the Author
Sherelle Black is a Content Editor for the Infrastructure Solutions Group at 1105 Media.