Sheriff ’s office investigates threat at St. Charles High

Fourth recent incident involving dangerous remarks against students

For the fourth time in less than two months, Charles County Sheriff’s Office is investigating threats of violence against students in local public schools.

The sheriff’s office was contacted on Sunday, Jan. 9, about an alleged threat made on social media against students at St. Charles High School in Waldorf.

“A preliminary investigation revealed several students at the school were followed on Instagram by two separate unknown accounts which contained a post of a photo of an airsoft gun, which resembles a [real] firearm, and indicated violence would occur,” the sheriff’s office stated in a press release on the incident.

The students informed their parents, who then contacted Charles sheriff’s office.

Deputies from the Patrol Division, School Resource Section and Criminal Investigations Division are working with Charles public school system’s safety and security staff this week to identify anyone involved with the incident.

In December, the Charles sheriff’s office dealt with other incidents involving threats of violence with firearms against county students.

On Dec. 14, sheriff’s deputies were called to Indian Head Elementary School for alleged reports of a mass shooting. The school was placed on lockdown and a police officer on site later determined that no shooting had occurred.

An investigation later determined the call came from a student at the school. The student who made the call was found and their parents were contacted, according to officials.

A similar incident took place on

Dec. 9 at Smallwood Elementary school.

The school was put on lockdown after reports of a shooting, but a followup text was sent indicating the report was a “joke.”

“A child may intend something as a joke, or as a way to get out of school, but poor decisions have disciplinary consequences,” Brenda Tillotson, principal at Smallwood Elementary, said in a letter sent home to parents about that incident.

Parents of the student involved in the Smallwood Elementary School incident were informed, and the cases at both elementary schools were referred to the Charles County State’s Attorney’s Office.

On Dec. 2, the Charles sheriff’s office investigated alleged threats by a student at Mattawoman Middle School against students at St. Thomas Jenifer Elementary School.

According to an investigation into that incident, a student from Mattawoman was in a group chat with Jenifer Elementary students when the middle school student threatened to shoot students at the elementary school.

That case was also referred to the Charles County State’s Attorney’s Office, but it was determined it did not rise to the level of criminal charges.