Bond set for Beechcroft student over post
A Columbus student accused of making statements on social media about killing two teachers at a Northeast Side high school could be placed on house arrest after a hearing Monday.
Columbus police say 18-year-old De’Andre Davon Fleming posted on Instagram on Friday that he would kill two teachers and anyone who got in his way at Beechcroft High School, 6100 Beechcroft Road, between third and fourth periods on Monday, according to court records.
Police received calls from people who saw the post and were concerned. After 17 people were killed in a mass shooting at a Parkland, Florida, high school on Feb. 14, threats have been made at schools across the country, including several local schools.
“It looks like they’re coming down a little bit but we’re still getting (threats),” Columbus Division of Police Homeland Security Unit Lt. Brent Mull said in a division video posted on YouTube.
A search warrant was recently executed in connection to a threat made at Eastmoor Academy. Police hope to make an arrest soon.
Over the weekend, Westerville police found a gun after a student fled Westerville South High School on Friday. An anonymous caller warned the school the student was carrying a firearm.
Demarius Braxton, 17, was arrested and charged with inducing panic and tampering with evidence on Friday. Following the retrieval of the gun by authorities, he now faces charges including carrying a concealed weapon and possession of a deadly weapon in a school safety zone.
Hilliard police made an arrest Monday after they determined there was no credibility to a threat Friday at Hilliard Darby High School.
Andrew Wiggins, 16, has been charged with inducing panic. He posted the threat and then forwarded it to numerous students, according to Hilliard police. In the Beechcroft case, Bureau of Criminal Investigation agents traced the IP address of the online threat back to Fleming’s stepmother. Police identified Fleming from previous Instagram posts.
“I don’t think these kids understand that when they create these accounts, we can trace these,” Mull said.
A SWAT team entered Fleming’s Bayfield Drive residence and interviewed him. Fleming agreed to cooperate with police and told them he was sorry for what he did, according to court records. He told police he made up a fake account on Instagram where he posted the comments.
Fleming, who is now charged with a second-degree felony count of inducing panic, was ordered held on house arrest, wearing a GPS monitor — if he makes bond, according to court records. The probation department will be responsible for watching him if that happens.
Franklin County Municipal Court Judge James O’Grady ordered Fleming to stay off social media, away from high schools, not to possess any guns or ammunition, or consume any alcohol or drugs. His bond was set at $500,085.
Mull cautioned others from making similar posts. He said Fleming could spend years in prison. Even for juveniles, consequences could be severe, he said.
“Because it’s a felony of the second degree, they’re not going to the engagement center in the front door and out the back door,” he said. “They’re going to jail.”