Juvenile in custody after threatening violence at Citrus Springs Elementary School
Graphic courtesy of CCSO.
A short time after officials were notified of a potential threat to Citrus Springs Elementary School on April 20, 2023, deputies with the Citrus County Sheriff's Office (CCSO) took a juvenile into custody.
In a voicemail left on a school faculty member's phone, the juvenile threatened severe violence toward students, according to a press release by the CCSO. Deputies, investigators, and members of CCSO's Intelligence Analysis Unit were immediately notified of the school threat. The caller was identified as a student. Deputies obtained a confession and placed the juvenile under arrest.
"The Citrus County Sheriff's Office takes every threat to our schools very seriously and investigates each threat thoroughly to ensure the safety of our students and school faculty," said Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast. "Thanks to the school's swift notification, we were able to secure our campuses, conduct proactive measures to ensure public safety, and eliminate the chance of an attack in our county. This is yet another example of why it is imperative we have School Resource Deputies on campuses each day to actively protect our youth."
"Our office would like to remind families and students, that threats to the safety of children, at any time, not only goes against the school district's code of conduct, but is also a violation of the law," said Madeline Scarborough, CCSO Community Relations Specialist. She added that he threat resulted in the disruption of class time for hundreds of students and the work schedules of parents, and also caused widespread safety concerns. "The Citrus County Sheriff's Office is committed to keeping your children safe and, with that, anyone caught making a violent threat or causing a disturbance within our county schools will be held accountable. If you or your child has any information relevant to the safety and security of our schools, please relay that information directly to school administration and law enforcement."