Teen accused of threatening Goodyear school; one of 11 charged this month alone

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — A teenager has been charged in connection with a recent threat against a school in Goodyear as part of nearly a dozen cases formally filed by the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.

The teen, whose name and age have not been released, is facing one count of making a terroristic threat, prosecutors said Thursday.

“What children and parents need to understand is that these threats are very serious, and we take them seriously,” County Attorney Rachel Mitchell said. “There’s much more to it than just ‘kids being kids.’ Lives are disrupted even if a shot is never fired. At a minimum, school days are interrupted because kids are sent home, or parents keep them home for a day or more. At worst, an active threat can cause trauma that takes a long time to overcome. This is also a drain on law enforcement resources.”

The teen arrested on Wednesday allegedly threatened a shooting at Estrella Mountain Elementary School. According to prosecutors, the threat was made while the teen was online with other children and in text messages.

Since the beginning of September, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office says it has received 11 cases involving kids making threats against Valley-area schools. Prosecutors confirmed to Arizona’s Family charges have been filed in each of those cases.

Buckeye police have arrested two juveniles this month, including a 12-year-old boy who allegedly left a threatening voicemail for a former teacher and a 12-year-old girl who’s accused of threatening a school in South Milwaukee, Wis.

Other arrests have been made in Phoenix, Surprise and Mesa. Similar threats have spiked nationwide since the beginning of September.

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