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14-year-old arrested for writing 'hit list' at Somerset College Preparatory in Port St. Lucie

List had total of 18 names of staff and students
Posted at 10:25 AM, Apr 24, 2017
and last updated 2017-04-24 19:42:13-04

The Port St. Lucie Police Department said Monday they have arrested a 14-year-old student after a "hit list" surfaced last week at Somerset College Preparatory Academy.

Police said on Friday they secured a take and hold order on a student who attends the school. The teen is accused of writing threats to kill or do bodily injury to students and staff of the school. 

 

After the take and hold order was issued, the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office located and took the 14-year-old boy into custody.

On April 18, officers learned that the student had written the names of several students on a piece of paper then passed it around to other classmates saying he was going to shoot them. 

The school resource officer learned that the teen took the paper back then ripped it up in several pieces and threw it in the trash.

School staff along with a school resource officer found the paper the teen threw away and started piecing it together. 

Investigators said the paper had listed a total of 18 names which included students, the principal and the school resource officer. 

In addition to the names, the teen also mentioned gasoline and laundry detergent, which the 14-year-old said he heard that can be used to make Napalm. 

According to the arrest affidavit, the note also had drawings of classrooms and the main office. It also read on the back that the student was planning to hold the principal at gun point to prevent her from issuing a code red.

"Was this a joke," said parent Sherri Ricci-Reynolds, who's 14-year-old daughter rode the bus with the accused student. "Was this an honest to God plan that he had?"

Reynolds says she thinks there should be changes moving forward. "I feel like the initial threat is gone, but right now I’m looking to the future and how to protect kids moving forward.”

There was also writing on the paper of an AR-15 and Glock-19 with multiple rounds of ammunition.

Through the course of the investigation the officer learned that the child's father, who lives in another city in Florida, has firearms. 

The officer took the information from the investigation and consulted with the State Attorney's Office, who issued the take and hold order on the student.