Two teens being held in Columbia after threat of SC school shooting discovered

Two juveniles have been arrested for allegedly making threats about a school shooting at a high school located just outside the Midlands.

Two juvenile white males, a 15- and 16-year-old, were charged with disturbing schools, according to the the Aiken County Sheriff’s Office.

The teens were taken to the South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice in Columbia after being arrested Thursday, the sheriff’s office reported. They were arrested following an investigation to an incident that occurred March 7 at Silver Bluff High School.

Just before 3 p.m., a message indicating that there would be a school shooting the following day was discovered on the wall of a boy’s bathroom, according to the sheriff’s office.

The school resource officer was alerted and the school’s administration initiated its’ lockdown procedures, the sheriff’s office said, adding that additional deputies were assigned to the high school Thursday.

Both of the juveniles that were arrested are awaiting a hearing scheduled for Monday.

“There is zero tolerance for any behavior that has the potential to cause panic, threaten violence or disrupt our schools,” Aiken County Sheriff Michael Hunt said in a news release. “We cannot and will not allow anyone to threaten the safety of any school in our county. Let this arrest serve as an example of our efforts and collaborative partnership with the Aiken County School District.”

This story was originally published March 8, 2018 at 7:39 PM with the headline "Two teens being held in Columbia after threat of SC school shooting discovered."