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School investigations into Corey Johnson go back four years

Posted at 5:17 PM, Mar 15, 2018
and last updated 2018-03-16 06:55:04-04

The Palm Beach County School District has documented incidents going back four years involving the 17-year-oldaccused of stabbing three people and killing one this week in Palm Beach Gardens. 

These school reports reveal that on several occasions students and even the principal of Dwyer High School spoke up about Corey Johnson. 

From threats that he allegedly made to other students on social media, to hateful comments students say he openly made in class, one of his classmates told police they could not take it anymore.

The reports start in 2014 when Johnson was a student at Independence Middle School in Jupiter. School records show a student came forward and told police Johnson was taking unwanted pictures of her while on the school bus and used several social media accounts to get in contact with her, sent her text messages and allegedly solicited sexual acts.

Later that year, a police report says Johnson got into a fight with another student on the bus. 

In 2015, a student told police Johnson made hateful remarks in class saying "All gays should be killed," "Jewish people are going to hell" and talked about the KKK. The student told police that Johnson used to have a Hitler sticker on his identification picture. 

When police met with Johnson's mom, she said she would have Johnson attend a church youth program to help him with his religious opinions. 

In 2016, Johnson's sister told a teacher that she was afraid of her brother and used to sleep with a pocket knife underneath her pillow. She said that his 'white supremacists beliefs' were 'escalating.' 

That year the principal at Dwyer received anonymous emails alleging that Johnson posted a picture of two students in his culinary class on social media and said: "Tomorrow I am planning to kill the (expletive) in the back after fifth period with two knives." 

Police said the screen names were not shown and they were not able to determine who was making the threat. Most of the reports were closed out saying no crime was committed. 

In 2017, an officer spoke to Johnson's sister which led to a school police officer observing Johnson during lunch time. He noted Johnson would sit in his usual spot, a bench by himself, would not eat and spent the entire lunch period scrolling on his phone. When the officer asked him if he got along with other students at Dwyer, he reportedly said he did not like anyone at the school they are "loud, obnoxious, and self-centered."

The officer noted that Johnson would give him the answers he wanted to hear while talking to him as to not "raise any suspicious flags."

Police were tipped off to possible behavioral issues by Johnson's sister who told police that her brother was inspired by books about the Columbine shooting and the Oklahoma City bombing. The sister told police she was concerned for him. 

The school police officer who observed Johnson at school wrote in his report that Johnson purposely "flies under the radar" and that this behavior along with the allegations that he is "fascinated with extremists groups and beheadings" may be a "potential problem in the future." 

The officer documented that these characteristics should be explored further by a licensed mental health physician. 

The FBI has been investigating Johnson and Jupiter police confirm the FBI was looking into alleged threats Johnson made to a Catholic School in England.

A report says two weeks ago the FBI was planning to arrest Johnson in the coming weeks on federal charges. Palm Beach Gardens police said Tuesday that Johnson was recently withdrawn from Dwyer High School.