The Seminole County Sheriff's Office arrested a 12-year-old boy for calling in a shooting Friday, which turned out to be a hoax at Lake Mary High School.
Deputies said in addition to the charges of misuse of 911 and disturbing an educational institution, the boy was charged with giving false information to law enforcement and making a false report in the commission of a crime. All four charges are misdemeanors.
The boy had his first appearance in court Saturday morning. At the hearing the judge found probable cause for the arrest and ordered the boy to remain in custody pending a hearing with a judge on Monday at 1:30 p.m
911 Call: Shooting hoax called in at Lake Mary H.S.
The school was quickly placed in lockdown Friday and deputies took all the necessary precautions, and evacuated students and faculty to ensure that everyone was safe after the call came in just after noon.
Deputies and police thoroughly searched the premises and found no gunshots had been fired and that the call was indeed a hoax. The caller told dispatchers, "There was just a shooting at Lake Mary High School right now. This place is all bloodied up."
As the call went on, the caller indicated there were still possible suspects on campus. "There is a lot of blood all over the place and the guys are around the place so it is not safe," the caller said.
As deputies and police arrived at the scene, video from Skywitness 9 HD showed students frantically running from the building while others walked out with their hands behind their heads.
"Did you hear it?" the dispatcher asked the caller. "Yeah, it was so loud and everything. I saw everything," the caller said.
Seminole County sheriff's deputies were on campus with guns drawn as they evacuated the building.
After law enforcement found no indication of a shooter or shots fired on campus, they said they learned it was a 12-year-old who had made the call.
Parents said they are still very upset about the incident. “You see these things happening across the county and to have a false one is absolutely ridiculous,” said parent Rich Geibert.
Rich Geibert’s son, Brandon Geibeirt, was among the student who was told to run to a field house to take cover. “It was pretty crazy,” Brandon Geibeirt said.
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