3 Fire Alarms Pulled In 24 Hours At Chancellor High School; Students Face Charges

SPOTSYLVANIA COUNTY, VA — Several students from Chancellor High School in Spotsylvania County now face charges after they were accused of pulling the school's fire alarm three times in a 24 hour span on Monday and Tuesday. The school also had an increased security presence on Tuesday due to a vaguely threatening social media post, the sheriff's office said.

The first fire alarm was pulled at 2:18 p.m. on Monday, authorities said. The sheriff's office said a female student pulled the alarm, and they were working to obtain charges from the county's Juvenile Intake Office.

At 9 a.m. on Tuesday, another fire alarm went off at the school. Authorities said that a male student pulled the alarm, and the sheriff's was working to obtain charges for him.

Around 1 p.m. on Tuesday, a group of students pulled the fire alarm a third time. The sheriff's office said that a group of four boys pulled the alarm together. The sheriff's office is working to obtain charges for them as well.

The Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office had already noted plans to increase security presence at Chancellor High School on Tuesday. On Tuesday morning, school officials and the sheriff's office learned of a rumor telling students not to go to school that day. The rumor originated from a social media post, but it did not mention the school by name and did not include any specific threat of violence.

The sheriff's office said they identified a student involved with the social media post, though the investigation was still ongoing.

Tuesday's incidents are the latest in a string of similar actions at schools across the area. Last week, Stafford High School was placed under a lockdown when authorities learned of a gun threat. In total, police responded to three threats at the school in one day.

Read more: Lockdown At Stafford Senior High School For Gun Threat: Police

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