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Virginia teen arrested after allegedly making online threats

These days, the average high-school student spends a good amount of time each day on social media. Some of these sites allow for anonymity, which gives students the idea that they can say whatever they want without any fear of consequences. Unfortunately, this kind of behavior can be considered a juvenile crime. One 15-year-old Virginia Beach high-school student recently found out the hard way that even supposedly anonymous posts can come back to haunt you.

The teen was recently arrested and is now facing a felony charge after an anonymous post on the popular online forum, 4chan, surfaced earlier this month. In the post, the teen allegedly made a violent threat directed at schools in the Virginia Beach area. Though no specific school was named in the threat, the student is now facing one count of communicating a threat to the school electronically. He was recently arrested and is now being held at a local juvenile detention center.

The police and the school district have taken the necessary precautions to make sure everyone stays safe. Upon investigation, and after speaking with the teen and his parents, police found that the threat was not credible.

This isn’t the first time a teen has gotten in trouble for posts made online. Another Virginia teenager was arrested for social media threats earlier this month.

Facing criminal charges is difficult for those of all ages, particularly young people. The consequences of a criminal charge can be severe, regardless of how young you are when you get convicted. Fortunately, with a defense strategy in place, those accused of a crime may be able to avoid conviction altogether.

Source: ABC 13 News Now, “Police: Teen charged following Va. Beach school threats on 4chan,” Dec. 15, 2015

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