AUSTIN, Texas — A Bee Cave Middle School student has been arrested for making a threat to a pep rally last Friday, Lake Travis ISD confirmed Tuesday morning.
The district shared a letter sent to Lake Travis ISD staff and families that stated on Friday, Sept. 27, a student who attends Bee Cave Middle posted a threatening message on Snapchat. The message stated, "“The pep rally? The perfect time to shoot up the school, but NO they got my a-- locked up in heyer.”
Lake Travis ISD said the student was quickly identified and removed from campus, and the district police department and Bee Cave Middle's administration team immediately conducted a threat assessment. It was quickly determined the student did not pose an immediate credible threat, but Monday morning, they were arrested at home and charged with Terroristic Threat for their post.
"It brings us no joy to have a student charged with a criminal offense. However, school threats carry very real consequences," Superintendent Paul Norton wrote. "These actions generate an atmosphere of fear and anxiety, placing a substantial burden on district resources."
Norton wrote that similar threats affecting other district campuses in recent weeks remain under investigation. He also urged parents to continue talking with their children about the seriousness of making school threats and reminded families that the Cavs Who Care tip line is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Recent threats to Central Texas schools
This most recent arrest is the latest in a slew of similar arrests at schools across Central Texas over recent weeks.
Six students have been arrested in Hays CISD over threats. Meanwhile, Austin ISD Police Chief Wayne Sneed said 30 threats were made against Austin schools.
Travis County District Attorney José Garza said last week that he had more than 30 cases pending, with just two involving adults. He said while his office prosecutes threats every year, the sheer volume of what it's seeing now is alarming.
“Firearms are just too readily available to juveniles and to people who possess them illegally,” Garza said. “So as long as that is the case, we're going to have to take these cases incredibly seriously.”
Garza said regardless of age, if you commit a crime, you will be arrested. He also mentioned his office will be going through each case individually and determining whether there’s probable cause, since there’s a wide range of conduct being investigated.