FLAGLER COUNTY, Fla. — The Flagler County Sheriff's Office says it has arrested and charged an 11-year-old boy from Virginia following a 10-week investigation into a series of threats made to Flagler County schools in May.
Over a nine-day period, officials said the FCSO Communications Center received more than 20 bomb or shooting threats toward Buddy Taylor Middle School and four other Flagler County schools — First Baptist Christian Academy, Flagler Palm Coast High School, Old Kings Elementary School and Suncoast Community School.
Buddy Taylor received the first threat on May 14, and the last one on May 22.
The Sheriff's Office said calls were placed to the FCSO Communications Center, the Volusia Sheriff's Office Communications Center, and the Lincoln Emergency Communications Center in Nebraska.
In each case, the caller made claims that a bomb or bombs had been placed; threatened to commit a mass shooting; or stated that they had just shot a teacher, student, or multiple people, the sheriff's office said in a news release.
FCSO's Criminal Intelligence Unit determined the calls came from the child's home in Virginia, where he is also accused of making a threat to the Maryland State House, officials said.
After detectives interviewed the boy, they say he admitted to making the swatting type calls using methods he learned online in an attempt to hide his identity. He also said he acted alone, the release stated.
Through the National Center for Audio and Video Forensics, it was determined that the voices from the swatting calls and law enforcement interview matched.
Detectives have also accused the 11-year-old of making similar calls throughout Florida and the country.
Detectives obtained an "order to take juvenile into custody" on July 18 and Sheriff Rick Staly worked with the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice and Virginia authorities to take the boy into custody.
He was charged with 14 felony counts of false report concerning the planting of a bomb, 14 felony counts of unlawful use of a two-way communication device, one felony count of tampering with physical evidence and 14 misdemeanor counts of disrupting a school function.
The boy is being held in a juvenile detention facility in Virginia while Florida DJJ and the state attorney work with Virginia authorities under the Interstate Juvenile Compact to transfer him to Florida.
"With school coming up in less than a month, I know that the status of this investigation was on the forefront of our community's mind, which is why our detectives never stopped working to find the person responsible for terrorizing our students, parents, teachers, and our community," said Staly. "This kid's behavior was escalating and becoming more dangerous. I'm glad we got him before he escalated out of control and hurt someone. I commend Detective O'Barr and our Criminal Intelligence Unit, our Real Time Crime Center team, dispatchers, and our patrol team, along with our federal and state partners, for their incredible effort to solve this case."
Another child was arrested on May 17 during the investigation. The 13-year-old is accused of making a bomb threat toward Buddy Taylor in what law enforcement determined was a copycat incident.