A juvenile, whose identity has not been released, was taken into custody Thursday, October 6, 2016 after making threats to Wortham Independent School District via social media.
Wortham’s Chief of Police Kelly Butler states that, after school hours on Thursday, he became aware of an individual threatening to bring a gun to the campus, and was provided screenshots of the menacing post.
The juvenile was quickly identified and had been detained in the Groesbeck Detention Center, although according to Chief Butler, it is undetermined what course of action will be taken against the individual at this point.
The Wortham Police Department issued the following statement regarding the incident on their Facebook page Friday morning:
“SCHOOL ALERT!!!!!! On Thursday 10/06/2016 the Wortham Police Department was notified of a possible threat made towards the Wortham Independent School District. This threat was in the form of an individual bringing a gun to school. We have been investigating this potential threat with cooperation from WISD. The individual who made the threat is in custody due to the nature of the threat. The investigation is ongoing, but we do not believe there is any credible threat to the students or teachers at the Wortham schools at this time. Please do not be alarmed if you see a patrol car at the school tomorrow. We are still finalizing our investigation into this matter.”
Wortham ISD Superintendent David Allen also issued a response on the school’s website to notify concerned parents:
“There was an incident last night (Oct 6) (after school hours) with a student making threats to Wortham ISD on social media.  The student has been detained.  As always, steps were taken to ensure the safety of everyone here at Wortham ISD. You may see police presence today, but only to finish their investigation.”
When contacted, Superintendent Allen again reassured parents of their children’s safety at WISD.
“We take steps every day to protect our students,” he shared.
“We treat their children like ours’, and strive to provide a safe, secure, environment in which to learn.”
School continued as normal on Friday with increased security from the Wortham Police Department.