SALINE COUNTY —The Salina Police Department continues investigating a shooting threat made against the Salina Central High School homecoming dance. Police arrested a 16-year-old girl who is a student at the school, according to a media release.
Just after 5p.m. Saturday, the FBI notified Salina Police after receiving a tip about a threat made via Snapchat, according to SPD Captain James Feldman,
The threat, which was directed at the Salina Central homecoming dance, stated an intention to "shoot up the dance." The FBI promptly relayed this information to the Salina Police Department.
Officers quickly identified the suspect, a 16-year-old Salina Central High student, and located her at her residence on Hillside Drive in Salina. The juvenile was not present at the dance, as the event had not yet begun by the time police were alerted.
"They [suspect] had no access to guns and never made it to the school function," Feldman said
Although it remains unclear when the Snapchat threat was initially made, SPD arrested the student on requested charges of criminal threat. She was transported to the Saline County Jail and later transferred to the Juvenile Detention Center in Junction City.
Investigators are working to determine when the threat was made, according to Feldman.
"We're trying to follow up on that information right now that may take a while. We're doing search warrants," Feldman said. "Maybe a week, possibly two. It just depends on how quickly we get the warrant to Snapchat."
The Salina Central homecoming dance proceeded as scheduled and concluded at 10 p.m.
On Monday, USD 305 sent Salina Central High School families the message from Superintendent Linn Exline
"Nothing matters more than keeping our students and staff safe every day. To make sure you have accurate information, I want to share what details I can regarding the threat made on the evening of Central High’s homecoming."
"On Saturday evening, the Salina Police Department notified Salina Public Schools that an investigation into a school threat for the Central High homecoming dance was underway. The district was provided few details about the active police investigation. The SPD worked quickly to ensure safety, and before the dance started, the SPD had the individual in custody."
"Several parents reached out to me asking for information about our notification procedures in situations like this. Since the threat was reported to the SPD and they had the student in custody prior to the dance, we did not notify parents."
" understand that the timing of the SPD press release and news coverage didn’t make it clear that SPD had the student in custody prior to the dance. I also understand that absent a statement from us, the press release was worrisome and you were left with questions about your student’s safety."
"It takes all of us working together to keep our students and staff safe. Please take this opportunity to talk to your student(s) about the importance of reporting anything unusual, even if it could be a joke or hoax. Remind them if they hear or see anything, they should tell you, share with a school employee, or even call the police. Making a report is always the right thing to do. "