Police: Threats made in style of TV show

Two teenage girls face charges for threats that led to an early dismissal Thursday and the closure Friday of Piqua High School.

The threats were made in the style of the TV show “Pretty Little Liars,” Piqua Police Chief Bruce Jamison said in a statement released Friday night.

A 15-year-old student created a Snapchat account with a username that included the letter “A” like a character on the show. A 14-year-old student who had seen the social media posts wrote a threat on a girl’s bathroom wall, “I’m still gonna shoot the school A.” There is no evidence of collaboration between the two students, who are facing charges in Miami County Juvenile Court, Jamison said.

■ A 15-year-old girl responsible for creating the “A” Snapchat account will be charged with misdemeanor disorderly conduct.

■ A 14-year-old girl responsible for writing the bathroom wall threat from “A” to shoot the school is charged with felony inducing panic.

The police investigation found that Snapchat posts threatened to expose classmates’ secrets. The posts were widely seen across the school. False rumors about the “A” snaps circulated Wednesday that indicated there was a threat to shoot up the school. The only threatening message was found Thursday on a girls restroom wall, about the same time two students reported “the shooting” would happen around noon, the chief said.

Piqua High School was placed on lock-down in the afternoon as the school prepared for early dismissal and parents were notified. School was canceled for Friday because rumors and anxiety likely would spread while police conducted their investigation, Jamison said.