Threat At Aberdeen Middle School Leads To 2 Students Charged: APD

ABERDEEN, MD — Police said that two students have been charged related to a threat made this week toward Aberdeen Middle School. Both students are in eighth grade, according to the Aberdeen Police Department.

One was charged with making a false statement to a police officer, and the other was charged with disturbing school operations, police reported.

The charges stemmed from a social media post that warned students not to come to school on Tuesday, Dec. 4, according to officials.

Police said a parent brought the issue to the attention of those at Aberdeen Middle School after 3 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 3, upon seeing the social media post from a student at the school.

The post advised students to "not come to school the following day because of a threat made by a student to shoot up the school," police said.

"At the conclusion of the investigation, it was determined the threat was not credible and that the student never made a threat as originally reported," police said in a statement on Friday, Dec. 7.

Two eighth grade students involved were referred to juvenile services, police said.

"The Aberdeen Police Department encourages students and parents to report threats of violence to our children and schools, as safety is our main concern," police said. "However, at the same time, false reports or the posting/reposting threats on social media will not be tolerated."