BOTETOURT COUNTY, Va. – The Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office is investigating after a student from Central Academy Middle School (CAMS) in Fincastle received a threat on Snapchat on Tuesday.
Authorities say a female student told them that she got a friend request on Snapchat from an unknown party. After accepting it, she then got a message from the user that said: “You’re on the CAMS hit list, good luck you’re the first one,” according to the sheriff’s office.
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She blocked the user but immediately got yet another friend request. Once she accepted it, she got a second message stating: “You’re on the hit list, number one, watch you’re back, you’ve been warned.”
Immediately after being alerted about the social media message, the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office Detectives and the CAMS School Resource Officer in collaboration with Botetourt County Public Schools Administration began to investigate.
Detectives learned that a CAMS school administration computer had received a threat as well about a “hit list” around the same time that the female student received the disturbing messages on Snapchat.
The sheriff’s office says they “are confident there is no substantial threat to students” and are working hard to track the devices used to send the messages.
Investigators are trying to determine if the threat is connected to the recent one made toward Clifton Middle School in Alleghany County.
Here’s a statement from the Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office in relation to the incident:
On Tuesday evening, as a precaution, Botetourt County Public Schools sent out a notification to the parents of Central Academy Middle School students making them aware that some level of threat had been made.
While we apologize for not always being able to provide you with a complete picture of what has occurred, be assured that our response will be immediate to address any concerns that may arise regarding the safety of your child and to resolve these types of incidents. Detectives needed time to investigate what had just been reported and interview the potential parties involved.
“The safety of your children is our top priority,” said Sheriff Matt Ward, “we will do everything possible to protect them and prosecute those who threaten their safety.”
Botetourt County Sheriff’s Office
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