Teen arrested after online threat puts MN schools on high alert
A teenager has been arrested in Minnesota after allegedly making a threat referencing the Columbine massacre, which led to extra security being put in place Monday around schools in Fairmont.
KEYC reports that a 17-year-old was arrested in Cottonwood County at 6:30 p.m. Monday following a threat that was posted anonymously on the app Yik Yak over the weekend.
Fairmont Area School District Superintendent Joseph Brown Sr. told the TV station the threat was a single sentence: "Guess who's gonna Columbine school on Monday," and made no reference to Fairmont or any other schools.
The teenager has ties to the Fairmont area, according to a posting on the school district's Facebook page, and the threat led police to place extra officers outside area schools as a security precaution.
Fairmont High School and Fairmont Elementary School were among those to have added security. The posting said this would be in place throughout the week.
The arrested teen could face felony terroristic threat charges, which are punishable by up to five years in prison. Police initially offered a $500 reward for information leading to the culprit's identification, prior to the arrest being made.
