HELENA — Helena police say a 14-year-old boy has been arrested in connection to the threats made to Helena High School on Wednesday, Sept. 18, 2024.
"At the conclusion of the investigation, a juvenile was placed under arrest for intimidation and transported to a juvenile detention facility," said Helena Assistant Chief of Police Cory Bailey. "Officers are still investigating but are not aware of any other active threats towards the schools."
According to Helena Public Schools, the district was made aware of two separate threats Wednesday morning on the SnapChat social media platform. The first threat did not name any specific schools in Montana and was deemed non-credible by law enforcement.
"Helena Police Chief Brett Petty shared with us that this post was already on the radar of the Montana Analysis and Technical Information Center (MAITIC), an arm of the Montana Department of Justice that tracks and analyzes social media threats," wrote Superintendent Rex Weltz in a statement to families and staff of Helena Public Schools.
At the same time a second threat that specifically targeted Helena High was also posted on SnapChat, but came from a local source. In response, the district implemented a "Shelter in Place" order for Helena High.
"Unfortunately, as a result of there being two school threats reported on the same morning – one credible and one not – a rumor started on social media. Posts claimed that a school threat reported by students at Capital High was ignored by school staff and administration. This was not the case," wrote Weltz.
Weltz thanked the students who reported the threats and encouraged families and community members to be vigilant against rumors.
"It’s human nature for rumors to spread quickly, especially in today’s digital world. In times of emergency, please be sure you’re getting information from trusted sources, whether that’s district email or text communications, the district website, the district Facebook page, or updates from law enforcement," wrote Weltz.
"When a threat is received, the first priority of staff at your school and our district office is the safety of students and staff. Our immediate actions are focused on working with law enforcement, initiating appropriate response protocols and communicating with staff," Weltz continued. "Once these immediate safety needs are addressed, the focus shifts to communicating with parents and the community, taking the time needed to ensure that we’re sharing accurate and appropriate information. This is in itself a safety precaution."
All Helena Public Schools will operate as usual on Thursday with an increased police presence at schools throughout the district.
