Student charged after threatening social media posts

An 18-year-old male student of Chinook High School is facing charges after suspicious posts referencing the school circulated on social media earlier this week.

Late Monday night, police received multiple reports of concerning photos on Snapchat. One of the posts showed a firearm lying on top of a package of cigarettes, while a second showed a pencil case full of bullets. Both posts had “Chinook High School” written across them.

A third post shared on social media, reportedly from the same account, stated “I am afraid only of my Lord. So do not try to scare me.”

Police spoke to several witnesses and notified the school of the incident early Tuesday. Multiple officers were dispatched to the high school prior to the start of classes to ensure safety of the staff and students.

Around 8:30 a.m., police took the male student into custody at the school without incident and interviewed him in relation to the posts.

Police say their investigation determined there was no intent to cause harm to anyone and the student apologized for his extremely poor judgment.

The 18-year-old, who police have not named, has been charged under the School Act for disturbing the proceeding of a school. He has been released from custody and will appear in court Nov. 21.

The police said they take every threat as credible until they can prove otherwise.

In response to questions about why the man’s name has not been released, police stated on their Facebook page the charge is a provincial statute.

“No criminal offence occurred and there are ongoing processes within the school that would be undermined if the student’s name was released,” they wrote.

Section 27 of the School Act makes it illegal for persons to disrupt school proceedings, school meetings or board meetings, or trespass or loiter on school property.

The Lethbridge School District could not comment on whether the student would be returning to classes as they said they keep all student records private and it is a complex case.

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