Walt Whitman HS Teen Arrested In Arson, Vandalism Cases At Elementary School: Police

Updated at 1:54 p.m.

BETHESDA, MD — A teenager was arrested in connection to a vandalism and arson case reported at Bradley Hills Elementary School, police said Wednesday.

Montgomery County Police identified the arrested individual as a 16-year-old boy who attends Walt Whitman High School. He was not named, but officials said he is facing the following charges:

• Two counts of second-degree arson
• First-degree malicious burning
• Malicious destruction of property
• Threats of mass violence
• One count of altering physical evidence

Both the second-degree arson and first-degree malicious burning are considered felony charges.

The teenager was identified Sunday and arrested on Monday around 10:30 a.m. after a search warrant was executed at his home, police said.

Authorities said a search warrant for the teen's electronic devices returned "items of evidentiary value."

The case is being referred to the Department of Juvenile Services for disposition.

The department opened an investigation on Saturday after being notified that the name of the Sandy Hook shooter was spray-painted on a campus fence at the Bethesda school.

A letter issued by Montgomery County Public Schools stated officials had provided investigators with surveillance footage, and that the graffiti had been cleared from the scene.

Related: Elementary School Spray-Painted With Name Of Sandy Hook Shooter

Security measures were increased Monday at Bradley Hills Elementary School and at other area schools.

Police said Wednesday that while security patrols will continue around the Bradley campus, there is "no ongoing threat to the school or the public related to this case."

The Sandy Hook shooting happened in December 2012, when 20 students and six staff members were killed before the shooter took his own life.

"To be clear, the use of the name of an individual responsible for such a heinous act, one that involved the loss of life of young school children, can only be interpreted as an act intended to intimidate and cause fear within the Bradley Hills School community, and the broader neighborhood and community," read an MCPS letter issued to parents over the weekend.

The graffiti was found days after the school also reported that an outdoor shed had been intentionally set on fire. The arson incident was being investigated separately by the Montgomery County Fire Marshal’s Office.