AURORA | One juvenile has been arrested and charged with making threats against Rangeview High School, Aurora police said Thursday, a day after some teachers said they were afraid to come to school amid threats and scores of students students stayed home.
Neither police nor school officials made it clear whether other students are involved, or even if they think the student arrested was responsible for the threats. In a statement, Aurora police said the male juvenile has been charged with “interference with staff, faculty, or students of educational institutions.”
Police said the case is still under investigation and they could not comment further. Police also did not say whether the juvenile was a Rangeview student.
Patti Moon, a spokeswoman for Aurora Public Schools, said she didn’t have an exact figure on how many students were absent Thursday, but said there were more excused absences than on a typical day. Students at the school said some classes and the hallways were nearly empty, posting pictures of vacant chairs and rooms.
The arrest and ensuing worry came after a student hacked into the school computer system and issued shooting and bomb threats to teachers, one in particular. Word leaked out about the threat and that neither police nor school officials could determine who the student was. After news of threats was made public on social media and a late Wednesday story by the Aurora Sentinel, school officials said they and police had determined the threats weren’t credible.
The Sentinel publishes copies of emails sent to teachers, with crude and graphic threats.
By around 8 a.m. Thursday morning, the Rangeview parking lot was slightly more than half full — far less crowded than on a typical school day at the start of classes.
Jesse Aguirre, a junior at the school, said his first period class had only about a dozen students, far fewer than the typical 40.
“The hallways are empty,” he said. “It’s a ghost town.”
The school’s student newspaper, the Raider Review, posted pictures on Twitter Thursday showing classrooms full of empty desks and sparse crowds in typically full hallways.
On Wednesday, teachers raised concerns about a series of school computer hackings and threats to shoot a teacher in front of his students and bomb the school. Aurora police and school district officials deemed the threats not credible, but said there would be extra APS security and Aurora police in and around the school Thursday.
“Did I ever tell you how gay you are and I f****** hate you – you can go die somewhere you f****** bitch I will come in your class and kill you right in front of all the kids I dont f****** care if they see,” the student said in the email. The email was sent to the Sentinel and is apparently moving to many school employees. “I hacked your email thats why I am sending you this to yourself for proof I told you not to make us do work but you didn’t do what I said so this is just getting started next pizza will come to your house them the cops will come and more stuff will happen so dont make us do work this is the LAST time I am saying this and here’s a link to all your info (LINK WITHHELD BY THE SENTINEL) so remember I am watching you in 7th but who I am you will see find out hahahahah.”
The emails also threatened a bomb for Thursday, the last day of the quarter.
Teachers said Wednesday they were pondering a “sick out” because the person who made the threats hadn’t been identified and apprehended.
Moon said only three teachers called in sick, which is a typical number.
Aurora police spokeswoman Officer Diana Cooley said police are still investigating the threat but, because the investigation is ongoing, said she couldn’t discuss details.
“We definitely take any types of threats seriously, so we are going to investigate it fully,” she said.
Moon said when the threat came in, Rangeview staff, security, Aurora police and school district officials investigated it before deciding school should go ahead as planned Thursday.
The district opted not to notify parents about the added security or potential threat until Thursday morning after classes had already started. Moon said the district sent out a robo-call Thursday around 8 a.m. — after the start of first period classes — because several parents had called the school after seeing media reports about a threat.
She said the district apologizes for not telling parents sooner.
“That’s certainly something that we will be discussing,” she said.
Well that’s BS you’re apology is not excepted then send the Robo-Call after class had started. Then to say the threat was not credible when last week the college in Oregon was shot up it’s only not credible if they caught the person who hacked into the system etc. and i surely hope when they do find who did this that this person is prosecuted to the full extent!!! There was no way I was sending my two students to school today!
I’ll bet the suspects turn out to be a couple of sociopath pranksters who had no violent intentions.
The student had brought a gun in their backpack. The student was also 2 classes away from killing a teacher and 28 students. I go to rangeview and we heard on the announcements that the kids had been caught and the teachers had a meeting afterwards. Walking through the school yesterday everyone was cautious and nervous.
You obviously heard a rumor about a gun in a backpack. That rumor does not check out according to the police.
Yes, everyone was nervous today, yes, he was caught (taken out of my friend’s class) but there was no weapon involved. Not only that, but he was found during second period, near the beginning, and was removed from the campus promptly after being caught. Due to concerns about possible others involved, a substantial police force remained on site, working with APS security officers. Never was anyone at any more risk than on a normal day, as deans and APs were stationed at every outer door, and could be seen ‘patrolling’ the hallways.
“Not credible” simply means that someone MADE A THREAT, but did not say exactly what they are going to do, and unfortunately the police have absolutely no evidence to put people on serious alert. Everyone is too dramatic. WTH does the shooting in Oregon have to do with this!? I grew up in the ghetto on the East Coast, and shootings were a problem, in schools, beginning IN THE 1980’s in the inner-city!!! It was never a problem until it happened to rich, white people! If my family kept me home EVERY time there was a threat, I would not have graduated from so many absences!!
They said what they were going to do and almost followed through. (I go to rangeview)
“Not credible” actually means the threat was investigated, and the suspect was found not to be in the imminent planning phase. When the police showed up at his house, there was no cache of weapons or bomb-making materials. The kid was in no position to carry out his threat. The kid did make actual and specific threats, but it was deemed he did not have the means to carry them out. It would seem that an angry, mouthy kid has severely limited his future.
Keep in mind that using a password you’ve found does not constitute hacking, which is probably how he entered the computer systems.
I have a friend who is a teacher at Rangeview. Security was heavy today. I agree, let’s not blow this all out of proportion, but take precautions. It seems they made the right decision.
It was the internet’s fault. Ban the internet.
Why is my reply of 7 hours ago still pending? Is someone at Sentinel censuring, or so thin skinned we cannot have an honest opinion, and express it. I remember my school days in 1940s, when stress was whether our bus would get stuck in snow on way to school, or if tire went flat during day, we would have to walk home Our farm was quite a distance, and not that much traffic on roads, when folks did not have that much money.
I do have to say, we don’t know who our enemies are now, on our streets, roads, or highways, and with all the different looks, languages, hard to know who will help, or will even be able to talk to us.
But to be censored by paper, when people are not buying them that much any more, is hard to take. Nazi censored their citizens, and we do have some folks on television who need to be censored.
Easy there Frank. Keep calm, and keep talking about the good ‘ole days. BTW, not only are people not buying them much anymore, I don’t think the Aurora Sentinel is even for sale. They give them away.
If you need help in public, the best thing is to just ask. Most people are nice (I’m an optimist), and will assist you if they can. Don’t worry about the words, a friendly demeanor and a smile will get you far!
I just tell anyone to check my user name, and they can still read what I wrote on Disquz. It was there still, though NBC and Denver Post blocked me when I told them I did not buy their rags. Denver Post has not been honest with readers since the Rocky Mountain died. Even though they hired some of those employees, and let their good ones go.
Told Dave Perry years ago if he kept at it, he might become a good reporter. Then people moved, and he inherited the editors job. After that at one time, I told him directly that the paper was worth what I paid for it. NOTHING. Mayor years ago said he would not use the Sentinel for bottom of bird cage, IF he had a bird cage. I only read it on net, to see what others are saying about it. They have always been negative to Republicans, unless they are no longer campaigning for re-election. Sentinal had good write-up when Tom Tancredo left Dist#06 as Rep.
Just checked, and the article I mentioned is still “pending”.
And why anyone would cast aspersions upon your sage advice is beyond me. Ever feel like you are preaching to the choir? I mean, who else reads this rag?
Conservatives and losers.