RIVIERA BEACH, Fla. — An 18-year-old West Palm Beach man was arrested for sending written threats to three students at a Riviera Beach high school.
According to the arrest report, on Jan. 31 the Palm Beach School District Police Department was notified that Abig-Caleb Laguerre had made written threats to three of his classmates at Inlet Grove Community High School, including threats to shoot them and do bodily harm. The students are all in 12th grade.
WPTV spoke to several parents who didn't know about the arrest
School administration told the West Palm Beach Police Department (WPBPD) Laguerre was no longer on campus. He was located at his home in West Palm Beach, and he admitted to making the threats.
He was taken into custody by a WPBPD officer for making the threats "while on the campus of IGCHS," according to the report, and transferred to Turning Points Academy in West Palm Beach, where Laguerre stated in a recorded interview that he was "not in the right headspace" when sending the threats. He stated he didn't intend harm, and sent the threats because he thought the students were taking advantage of him.
Abig-Caleb Laguerre appears in court Wednesday
He also told detectives that he was having thoughts of harming himself, and was transported to JFK North for a mental health evaluation, before being transferred to Palm Beach County Jail.
Laguerre appeared in court Wednesday morning, and is facing three charges of written or electronic threats to kill or do bodily harm. The judge set a bond of $15,000 and said Laguerre must have no contact with the victims, but did not put restrictions on the teen's phone usage.
WPTV's Kayla McDermott went to the home of one of the victims Wednesday. She spoke with the teen's mother, who did not want to go on camera, but said no one should ever be threatened and she's glad her son is OK.
WPTV also spoke with several parents at pick-up time at Inlet Grove, who said they had no idea this had happened. The charter school told McDermott they have not informed anyone of the arrest yet.
