Evesham Police arrested a 14-year-old student on March 10 on charges he made a threat to be involved in a shooting at Cherokee High School.
The following information is on file with the Evesham Township Police Department:
On March 10, Evesham Police say the department arrested a 14-year-old high school student on charges that he made a threat to be involved in a shooting at Cherokee High School.
According to officials, ETPD were notified that the 14-year-old student sent a social media message to fellow students that he was in possession of a gun, wanted to shoot a police officer and advised his fellow classmates to wear certain color shirts so they wouldn’t get shot at school.
Police say the witnesses reported this incident to their parents and to the police department.
According to officials, Members of the patrol bureau, along with Evesham Detectives, worked quickly to identify the juvenile who made the alleged threat, who was immediately taken into custody and admitted to the threat.
A threat assessment was conducted, and police say the juvenile who made the alleged threat did not have access to any weapons. The police department determined that there was no threat to the safety of staff and students. The the juvenile who made the alleged threat was charged with terroristic threats and false public alarms.
“We always take any kinds of threats against our schools very seriously,” Evesham Chief of Police Christopher Chew said. “I am proud of the students who reported these threatening messages to their parents who worked with our agency to uncover the source of the threats and make sure any potential danger to our police officers, students and school staff was immediately investigated.”
The Evesham Township Police Department is again reminding community that in order to keep our students and school staff safe, the department needs the community’s help. The department asks that parents talk to their children to tell them that parents will support the children in doing what police describe as the brave and courageous thing by reporting any concerns, no matter how trivial they may seem, to school administrators and/or the police.
According to the department, keeping citizens, students and schools safe is the responsibility of all members of the community. Department officials say the department values the commitment of the community, school officials, along with dedicated school resource and police officers, in order to provide a safe and secure environment for all residents in Evesham Township.
This investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information regarding this case should contact Lt. Brian Rosenberg at (856) 983–1111.
