A White Oak Middle School student will be held in juvenile detention after being charged with making a threat on social media in which a prosecutor said the boy stated he was going to "enjoy killing everyone."
The 13-year-old is charged with inducing panic, a felony, and disorderly conduct.
Court documents state he threatened to shoot up Colerain High School on Oct. 7 and made a separate threat involving a firearm on Sept. 23.
The teen was arrested and appeared in Hamilton County Juvenile Court before Magistrate Tracey Hill the following day on Oct. 14. Hill ordered him help in detention despite pleas from his family.
Several family members came to court to appeal on his behalf and said the teen was being bullied at school. One relative said the school system
cannot stop it.
The family praised the boy saying he had received awards for his grades and for helping other students. They said he loves to learn and work and play outside.
"This is very out of character for him," his step-mother said. "This is probably a wake-up call for him."
The boy's lawyer said teen denies the charges and has never had prior contact with the court system.
Hamilton County Assistant Prosecutor Jillian McGraw said the teen had been previously expelled from school for threatening to shoot someone.
McGraw said the social media post the teen made said: "I'm going to enjoy killing everyone tomorrow then killing myself."
His family said they are already taking steps to get him into therapy. His lawyer argued that getting the teen the assistance he needs would be far easier outside of Hamilton County's youth detention center.
Magistrate Hill said the teen would remain locked up due to the seriousness of the charges, but said the detention could be revisited at the next court hearing. His step-mother protested, crying and offering to pay a bond.
"Please don't do this to this child," she said. "I don't want him to be here. This is going to change him."
After hearing her pleas, Hill moved the teen's next hearing up to Oct. 19.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 13-year-old held on a felony charge after social media posts
