16 Year Old Ohio Juvenile Arrested For School Threats
Over the last few weeks, the Valparaiso community has been alerted to potential threats within Valparaiso High School, with reports of possible violence called in on January 9, 17, and 26. The threats, com- municated by phone, have interrupted school days by panicking our students, staff, and parents. Although it has been difficult to read about these events or receive communication from concerned children within the high school, the Valparaiso Police Department thanked the community for its support and continued cooperation. All protocols were followed in each incident.
Multiple investigators have worked exhaustively to identify and locate a suspect. These investigations are tedious, filled with multiple layers of deception on the part of the violator, with details that take large amounts of time to analyze. Often, investigations of this nature can take months to lead to the identity of those responsible.
As a new threat was being communicated today to several area school corporations, the VPD was hard at work, with the support of numerous local and federal authorities. The dedication and commitment have led to a 16-year-old male suspect from Ohio, being taken into custody in connection with these incidents in Valparaiso. The investigation remains ongoing and further information will be released when available.
The Valparaiso Police Department is extremely proud of the effort and collaboration of all involved in the investigation. The VPD would like to specifically thank members of the Investigations Division, as the effort put forward these past few weeks has been remarkable. Further, the VPD would like to thank the United States Secret Service – Chicago Field Office, United States Secret Service – Forensic Services Division in Washington D.C., Federal Bureau of Investigations – Indianapolis Field Division, The Porter County Prosecutor’s Office, the Porter County Sheriff’s Department, Porter County 911 Central Communications Center, Valparaiso Fire Department, and Valparaiso Community Schools.
