PCSO: 300 students leave schools following ‘not credible’ threat

PENDER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Investigators say a social media post about a shooting at Pender County schools, is not a credible threat.

Capt. James Rowell with the Pender County Sheriff’s Office said someone posted on Snapchat, “No school for me tomorrow because there’s supposed to be a shooting at Pender County Schools.”

At approximately 7 a.m. Tuesday, the Pender County Sheriff’s Office and Public Schools received information from a concerned parent regarding a Snapchat post warning of a possible shooting in “Pender County Schools”.

Rowell says after looking into the situation, around 9 a.m. a message was sent notifying parents of the threat and that it was “not credible.” He says there are deputies going throughout the schools in Pender County.

Rowell says they saw approximately 300 students choose to leave campuses due to the threat.

He said the first priority is to inform the parents as soon as possible. Rowell also said some students have checked out of school and that means students are missing out on their education because of this.

“We would like to ask that parents continue to speak with their children regarding these types of incidents and encourage students to bring information forward when they hear or find out information. Please ask your students to notify a parent, school official or local law enforcement official,” Rowell said.

We reached out to Pender County Schools for comment and have not heard back.

Last week, Brunswick County schools dealt with a string of rumors related to threats made last September.

Friday a student at South Brunswick Middle School was charged with making a false threat.

Investigators charged another SBMS student today for another false threat.