On Tuesday afternoon, the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office was made aware of a post on social media threatening violence at multiple Wayne County Public School facilities. Investigators with the Sheriff’s Office immediately opened an investigation and began tracking down leads. Investigators successfully linked the post to a 13-year-old juvenile. The juvenile has been arrested and charged on a juvenile petition for communicating a threat of mass violence on educational property. Investigators determined that this threat was not credible, and there is no known threat to any school facilities.

“I appreciate the quick work by our School Resource Officer and Investigation Divisions to find and charge the individual responsible for this threat, “ said Sheriff Larry Pierce. “The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office takes these threats very seriously and will continue to charge anyone who threatens the safety of our school facilities.”

To help ease concerns, students and parents may notice additional law enforcement personnel at Wayne County public schools tomorrow. Again, there is no known threat to any school facilities. The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank the Goldsboro Police Department, Mount Olive Police Department, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation, and North Carolina Information Sharing and Analysis Center for assisting with this investigation.