Minor Detained For Reported Threat To 'Shoot Up' Yorkville School

YORKVILLE, IL — Yorkville police said they were called to the city's Hometown Days Festival on Game Farm Road Friday after they were made aware a juvenile had reportedly made threatening statements about "shooting up" Yorkville Middle School, but an investigation revealed no evidence of a threat. While police said the information came to them as a rumor already passed between several people, officers quickly identified, found, and took the juvenile into custody.

According to police, the juvenile was unarmed and denied making the threats. The youth's parents and Yorkville School District 115 were notified of the incident.

Two days later, on Sunday, officers said the department received a report that the juvenile posted a message on Snapchat Aug. 31 containing an image of a firearm and a statement regarding "shooting up" the middle school.

However, the "snap" wasn't screenshotted or saved, and was unable to be viewed by officers, police said.

Police said they went to the juvenile's home and were given permission to search it, but didn't find any firearms or anything signaling a threat.

The report from Yorkville police comes days after Yorkville Middle School Principal Lisa Adler posted on Facebook about reports of a threat she called an "unfounded allegation." That post also referenced a student making threats against the school at Hometown Days but said rumors were circulating about a Facebook threat.

"The Yorkville Police Department has found this rumor to be completely false. The juvenile in question does not attend a District 115 school, nor was there any evidence of a threat being made," Adler wrote, thanking parents who emailed the district to notify staff of the alleged threat.

Patch will continue updating this story if information becomes available.

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