A 15-year old male student at Dawson County Junior High School is in currently in custody after making alleged terroristic threats at school on Thursday.

The student has been charged with one count of terroristic threats and one count of transmitting a public alarm after allegedly making vocal reference to shooting up the school.

According to Sheriff Jeff Johnson, at 2:40 p.m. Aug. 9 investigators responded to reports of threats that had occurred at the junior high.

“While there did not appear to be an immediate threat to the students or staff, cause was sufficient to warrant the juvenile’s detention,” Johnson said in an email Friday.

Shortly before school released on Thursday afternoon, the Dawson County School System was made aware of the situation and the student was removed from the campus, according to Superintendent Damon Gibbs.  

“The Dawson County School System takes all threats seriously and, as always, the safety of our students is our top priority,” Gibbs said in an emailed statement Friday afternoon. “I want to thank Sheriff Johnson and his staff for acting quickly and handling the situation professionally. The school system will deal with the student per the Code of Conduct to ensure the ongoing safety of our student body.”

The juvenile is currently being held in a youth detention center.

The sheriff’s office is continuing to investigate.

As school safety continues to be the top priority, Dawson County Schools encourage reporting of any suspicious activity through the “See Something Say Something” initiative. Information on the initiative can be found at dawsoncountyschools.org and on the 1Dawson mobile app.

 Students, parents, faculty and concerned citizens are encouraged to report suspicious activity and safety concerns through the initiative.