Rockland Teens Charged With Terrorism Threat Towards High School

ROCKLAND, MA — Two freshmen at Rockland High School have been arrested for allegedly threatening to commit acts of violence at the school on Friday afternoon, school and police officials confirmed.

The 14- and 15-year-old boys from Rockland were arrested and charged making terroristic threats and disturbing a school assembly.

At 1:25 p.m., Rockland Police were notified that two boys, claiming to be Rockland High School students, had called a Boston television news station and told the station that they planned to harm people at their school. The news station called the police, and an investigation was launched immediately.

Both of the students allegedly responsible for the threat were identified, located and arrested within 30 minutes of their initial phone call to the television station.

"The Rockland Police Department acted quickly to respond to this threat, and the individuals are in custody," Superintendent Alan Cron said in a release. "I am very pleased that our faculty and staff and the police department worked closely this afternoon, following all of the policies and procedures we have in place in the event of an emergency. What matters most is that no one was harmed today."

A shelter in place was established at all Rockland schools during the investigation, which was lifted following the arrest. Schools will be dismissed at the usual times.

The investigation remains ongoing. At this time, it is not known if the threat was credible. One teen was released to his parents and the other taken to a hospital for psychiatric evaluation, officials told the Patriot Ledger. Both are due in Hingham Juvenile Court Tuesday, where hearings and documents are usually not available to the public.