Ravalli County Sheriff Steve Holton said law enforcement investigated two separate incidents at Ravalli County Schools on Monday, January 21. The Florence School District went into a modified lock down status Monday morning after two students reported threatening material posted on social media by a juvenile male over the weekend. The suspect male was not in school on Monday, and the information was immediately investigated by the School Resource Officer. The 13-year-old male was taken into custody at his Florence area home by Sheriff’s Deputies and charged with Intimidation, a felony. The lockdown was lifted as soon as the juvenile was in custody and there are no other suspects in that incident.
In another incident, a threatening note was found in a locker at the Lone Rock School. Sheriff’s Deputies later determined that threat to be a hoax.
Extra law enforcement was on both campuses on Monday.
Sheriff Holton credited the quick reporting by students and response by Deputies for making sure both schools were safe. The Sheriff’s Office has a zero tolerance policy towards threats of school violence and is actively investigating both cases for criminal charges. Sheriff Holton asks that everyone report potentially threatening situations to the Ravalli County Sheriff’s Office at 406-363-3033.