Police arrest student suspected of using anti-bullying app for campus shooting threat
Police have arrested an El Dorado High School student accused of making threats about a campus shooting while using an online app intended to help youths anonymously report bullying.
The Placerville Police Department was notified of the alleged threats on Wednesday by the high school’s administrators. Officials said the threats were made against the school by someone using the school’s “STOPit” app, according to a news release from police.
The threat stated that someone was going to “shoot up the school,” according to police. Additional officers were sent to the school Wednesday morning before students arrived on campus as a precaution.
Police said investigators identified the suspected student, who later “confessed” to writing and sending the online post, according to the release. The student was arrested on suspicion of making criminal threats and was being held at the juvenile detention facility in South Lake Tahoe.
Placerville police spokeswoman Cmdr. Kim Nida said the department was not releasing the age of the student or indicating whether the student was a boy or a girl.
Students can use the STOPit app to anonymously report bullying, and it “allows dialogue to support claims of potential unsafe situations,” according to the El Dorado High website. Students have free access to STOPit, but information posted on the app is monitored by school administrators.
Police officials said school administrators and investigators believed the students could arrive at school safely while they determined the credibility of the alleged threat. They also said the safety of all students on campus was the priority for the school and the Police Department.
This story was originally published February 12, 2020 at 3:54 PM with the headline "Police arrest student suspected of using anti-bullying app for campus shooting threat."
