Updated 10-24
A Sequim High School student was arrested on Sunday, Oct. 19 after allegedly threatening violence through TikTok messages towards multiple students.
The 15-year-old made their first appearance in Clallam County Juvenile Court on Oct. 20 and pleaded not guilty on Oct. 23 to charges of three counts of threats to bomb or injure property, three counts of harassment – threats to kill, and three counts of cyber harassment.
According to court documents, the 15-year-old has no previous criminal history and for each charge the maximum penalty is up to a year of probation, up to 150 hours of community service work, up to a $500 fine, and up to 30 days of detention.
A fact finding date is set for Dec. 11 in Juvenile Court. The student was released to their mother on Oct. 20.
Judge Simon Barnhart issued a no contact order for up to five years between the 15-year-old and four students, according to court documents.
Sequim School District officials alerted families the night of Oct. 19 with Superintendent Regan Nickels writing that the “messages included threats of violence and were quickly brought to the attention of trusted adults and law enforcement.”
Sequim Police officers arrested the student on the night of Oct. 19 at the Sequim Civic Center where they came voluntarily and the student was placed in Clallam County Youth Center, court documents state.
Sgt. Maris Larsen reported via a press release that an anonymous social media account allegedly made threats against specific students and general remarks about a possible school shooting slated for Monday, Oct. 20.
The messages were taken with the “utmost seriousness,” Larsen wrote.
Officers coordinated with school district staff and involved students, their parents, and TikTok to identify the source of the threats.
Larsen wrote that it appears the student acted alone and there were no further threats.
Nickels wrote to parents that the threatened incident was determined to be a “hoax,” and “an arrestable offense as the mere threat of violence toward schools is criminal.”
“Based on the arrest of the lone suspect and the determination that no credible threat exists, all schools will be open tomorrow (Monday, Oct. 20),” she wrote.
Law enforcement had extra patrols that day at the high school “out of an abundance of caution,” Nickels said.
At the Oct. 20 school board meeting, Nickels said she received some concern from families about using the word “hoax” in her email.
She said the verbiage was provided via RCW 9.61.160 and she was briefed by police officers. Her intent was not to be dismissive of the severity of the situation, she said, but to show the relationship of the situation to the law.
Nickels said the threats were very serious, and families and students felt very disconcerted and as if their safety was directly threatened.
Second incident
This is the second incident this school year related to online threats.
Another Sequim student, later identified as a 16-year-old, was arrested without incident on Sept. 4 after allegedly posting a video related to a shooting at Sequim High School. TikTok alerted the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and then local law enforcement of a potential threat to Sequim High School, according to Clallam County Sheriff’s Office reports.
As in this latest incident, police officers had a presence at schools throughout the school day.
After the September and October incidents, Nickels said the district, in partnership with ESD 114, initiated its Threat Assessment Protocol. According to the Olympic ESD’s website, the protocol provides “a comprehensive, multidimensional system to assist schools in addressing situations that may pose a threat of harm to others and to provide options for intervention.”
According to the ESD’s website, the goals of the assessment include keeping students who are at risk from committing violent acts in school, protecting students and staff members from potential violence, providing a student-specific safety plan utilizing community resources to mitigate the threat of violence, and involving parents in the threat assessment process.
Nickels said in an interview that part of the process includes administrators evaluating if the alleged suspect’s behavior would allow them to return to school or not.
She said for the 16-year-old student in September’s incident, the assessment was completed and appropriate discipline was applied.
She did not comment on what that was due to student privacy rights.
Due to recent changes in scheduling and filing information for juvenile cases, the case number for the Oct. 19 case was made public, whereas the Sept. 4 case was not made available through the court document system.
The Gazette will not release names, gender or other identifiable information related to juveniles in these cases.
Next steps
Larsen wrote that across the country has seen a rise in threats like these online, but most appear to be false or hoaxes.
“We urge parents and students to remain vigilant and report any suspicious activities to law enforcement,” she wrote. “Your cooperation is essential in maintaining the safety and security of our schools.”
Nickels acknowledged the incident can be unsettling and wrote in her email to parents to “please know that the safety and well-being of our students and staff remain our highest priority.”
“We take all threats seriously and respond immediately in partnership with law enforcement,” she wrote.
“We encourage any student who has information related to this incident — or any other concerning behavior — to share what they know with a trusted adult, school officials or directly with law enforcement.”
In her interview, she said it’s key for students that “if they see something, say something,” and that the targeted students spoke with trusted adults for help.
Student representatives will discuss a recent student-led cell phone survey at the Sequim School Board meeting at 5:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 3, and the following night, administrators host a digital safety forum from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in the Sequim High School Library.
