Kalama student arrested for false shooting threat to high school

A 14-year-old from Kalama was arrested Monday for knowingly spreading a false shooting threat against Kalama High School.

The Kalama Police Department reports the threat was unrelated to an incident involving a possible threat at the high school on Friday, which proved to be a misunderstanding.

A Longview School District student was arrested Saturday for the same crime directed toward area schools. Threatening to bomb or injure property, even if the threat is false, is a class B felony in Washington.

Castle Rock police also investigated a possible threat against Castle Rock High School Monday.

According to the Kalama Police Department, there has been a nationwide increase in school shooting threats following a Sept. 4 shooting in Georgia in which four people were killed and seven were injured.

“We appreciate the courage of the student who came forward with this information, the timely intervention of school officials and the prompt and thorough investigation by all involved,” the department posted on Facebook.

A police report states a Kalama student heard a fellow student, a 14-year-old boy, talk about shooting at Kalama, Woodland and Kelso schools on Friday.

The student also told police they received a Snapchat from the arrested teen about the threats. The police report states the suspect embellished and exaggerated details not contained “in the original social media posts.”