13-year-old girl charged with threatening violence against Prince William County school, police say

PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. — A 13-year-old student in Prince William County has been charged with making threats toward a Prince William County middle school, according to a Prince William County Police Report.

The unidentified teenage girl has been charged with threats of death or bodily injury after police said a potential threat was made toward Rippon Middle School on Feb. 2. 

The police report said the threats of violence were posted on social media and several students informed their parents, who contacted the police. 

A School Resource Officer (SRO) identified the sender of the messages on Feb. 3 as a 13-year-old girl. Police said the threats to the school were deemed not credible, according to the report.

This is the latest teenager to be charged with making threats against the school system.

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In December an unidentified 13-year-old boy sent messages on social media threatening potential violence towards Potomac Shores Middle School. Those messages were sent to the police and an SRO. The teen was charged with threats by electronic means.

“Every threat is taken seriously which leads law enforcement, the schools, other law enforcement agencies, the community, all of us to stop what we’re doing and take a look at these and investigate them thoroughly,” Prince William County Master Police Officer Renee Carr said.

Carr said the severity of threats made against schools, or any of its occupants, is not taken lightly and could lead to criminal charges, as seen in prior cases. 

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“There are criminal violations that we are able to charge if the investigation deems those appropriate," Carr said. "So there are a couple of different charges we can look at anywhere from misdemeanors to felonies here in Virginia.” 

In terms of preventing these types of threats and situations from happening, Carr said one thing she believes can be done is create a dialogue with young people. As well as letting children know their words have consequences.

"Things they put on social media are pretty much forever and when you make threats to the public these are not things that can be taken lightly. Their words have consequences and I think opening up a dialogue so kids can understand that is definitely a good start," Carr said.