<div id="headerline">
<img src="http://www.como.gov/CMS/pressreleases/citylogo-health.jpg" alt="City of Columbia Logo" width="118" height="121" class="citylogo" style="float: left; margin-right: 20px; margin-left: 0px;">
<img src="http://www.como.gov/CMS/pressreleases/policelogo.png" alt="Police Department Logo" width="98" height="121" class="healthlogo" style="float: right; margin-right: 0px; margin-left:20px;">
<div style="padding-top:40px;
text-align:center;">
<p style="font-weight:bold; display: inline; line-height:150%; font-size: 105%;">Columbia Police Department<br />
600 E. Walnut Street
<br />
Columbia, MO 65201
</p></div>
</div>
<div style="clear:both; text-align:center; padding-top: 20px;">
<h2 style="font-size: 200%;">FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</h2>
<p style="font-size: 120%; margin-top: -5px; font-weight:bold;">March 3, 2018</p>
<p style="float:right; font-weight:bold; margin-bottom: 75px; font-size: 120%; text-align:right;">CONTACT: Brian Adkisson
<br />City of Columbia
<br />Communications and Marketing Manager
<br />573-874-7330
<br />Brian.Adkisson@CoMo.gov</p>
</div>
<div style="font-size: 110%; line-height:200%;"><h3 style="clear:both; margin-top: 75px; margin-bottom: 10px; font-weight: bold; font-size: 170%;">Suspect arrested for threats to Hickman High School on March 2</h3>
<div class="content"><span style="padding-left: 50px;">(COLUMBIA, MO)</span> - <p style="display:inline;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">On Friday, March 2, 2018 at approximately 2148 hours, officers were dispatched to a call in reference to a threat towards Hickman High School students. The caller reported observing a Facebook post that threatened to shoot students and included a racial slur. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Officers made contact with the owner of the Facebook account (a juvenile) and learned that he only had access to the account via his cell phone, which had been stolen from his home by a known suspect who had been in his home within the previous 24 hours. When officers further interviewed the juvenile who owned the phone he stated he did not post the message to his Facebook account and believed that the suspect had because he had confronted him earlier in the day about stealing the phone from him. He also told officers that the juvenile suspect had sent him a Snapchat of a screenshot of the threatening Facebook post with a text overlay that said "watch out." The suspect also posted the same screenshot to his own Snapchat story. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Officers then made contact with the juvenile suspect who stated he had found a phone earlier in the day, but had thrown the phone away in a nearby dumpster. Officers located a phone that matched the description of the stolen phone on the trunk of a car parked in front of the suspect's residence. Officers discovered the phone had been reset to factory settings. </span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The 15-year-old juvenile suspect was arrested for Making a Terroristic Threat-Felony, Stealing-Felony, Tampering With Physical Evidence-Felony, as well as the additional enhancement for Hate Crimes-Felony as provided in RSMo 557.035.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Columbia Police Department would like to thank the students and parents who became aware of these social media posts and contacted law enforcement and Columbia Public Schools (CPS) Administration. We have worked closely with CPS security staff and administrators throughout this investigation and appreciate their prompt attention and willingness to assist us in these investigations. Our partnership is vital to keeping our schools, students and community safe. </span></p>
<p><strong>SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING<br /><br /></strong></p></div>
<br />
<div class="content"></div>
<br />
<div class="attachments"></div>
</div>
<div id="footerline">
<div style="margin-top: 75px; margin-bottom: 20px; text-align:center;"><p>City of Columbia Vision<br>
<em>Columbia is the best place for everyone to live, work, learn and play.</em></p>
<p>City of Columbia Mission<br>
<em>To serve the public through democratic, transparent and efficient government.</em></p>
</div>
<p style="text-align:center;">-30-</p>
</div>
<style>
#pressrelease table, #pressrelease th, #pressrelease td{
border: 0px;
}
#pressrelease{ margin:40px;}
.attachments{margin-top: -10px;}
</style><p>______________________________________________________</p>
<p>You have received this message because you subscribe to the City of Columbia's Web Mail service. To view linked material click on provided links or copy and paste them into your browser's address menu.</p>
<p>______________________________________________________</p>
<p>Archived press releases can be viewed online at:
http://www.como.gov/CMS/pressreleases/directory.php</p>
<p>______________________________________________________</p>
<p>If you would like to stop receiving messages, modify list options, or subscribe to other lists visit the Web Mail section of our Web site and follow the instructions provided at http://www.como.gov/Web_Mail/ </p><style>div{margin: 10px;}</style>