A 14-year-old juvenile has been charged with making several false threats through the Safe2Say Something app that forced a lockdown at Quakertown Community High School and closed Strayer Middle School twice in March.
The Bucks County District’s Attorney’s office and Quakertown Borough Police each sent out press releases on Monday, April 12, to alert the community of the arrest. The perpetrator faces five counts each of terroristic threats, false reports to law enforcement authorities disorderly conduct and false reports to the Safe2Say program. The terroristic threats charges are graded as third-degree felonies and the other charges are third-degree misdemeanors.
“The Quakertown Community School District is very appreciative of the efforts of our law enforcement community to solve this crime,” Superintendent Dr. Bill Harner said. “I personally want to thank our School Resource Officers, Brian Hendrzak and Bob Lee, for their hard work and dedication in the investigation. They, along with police from Quakertown Borough and Richland Township, performed flawlessly during this entire process and we are incredibly grateful.”
Following the threats, Dr. Harner respectfully requested that parents speak with their children about the importance of not using Safe2Say for anything other than its intended purpose. He has also asked parents to take the time to check all apps on their child’s cell phone.
“It is my hope that our school community, which has been so supportive of our actions during this stressful time, can use these events and this outcome as a teachable moment,” Dr. Harner said. “Everything anyone does online leaves a digital footprint behind, which ultimately can be traced.”