A 13-year-old has been charged after threatening a group of Davis Middle School students during a FaceTime call in which the juvenile displayed what appeared to be a firearm, the Charles County Sheriff’s Office said.
The incident occurred around 10 p.m. on September 8, when several Davis Middle School students were on a group FaceTime call. A 13-year-old relative of one of the students joined the call, showed what appeared to be a gun, and threatened to come to the school the next day to harm the other participants, according to the sheriff’s office. The threat was not reported to authorities that night.
School administrators learned of the threat the following afternoon and notified the school resource officer (SRO) assigned to Davis Middle, who opened an investigation. The SRO identified the juvenile — who is not enrolled in Charles County Public Schools — and conducted a home visit. Once the investigation was complete, the juvenile was charged on a juvenile offense report with making a threat of violence.
Because the suspect is a minor, the case will move through Maryland’s juvenile justice system rather than adult criminal court, a process that emphasizes rehabilitation over incarceration and can include diversion options such as Teen Court for younger offenders. The sheriff’s office did not specify the exact charge under Maryland law. Threats made against groups of five or more people can fall under the state’s threat-of-mass-violence statute, which carries penalties of up to 10 years in prison and a $10,000 fine for an adult offender; it was not confirmed whether the number of students on the call met that threshold.
The case is the latest in a series of threat investigations at Charles County schools in recent years, most of which have not resulted in criminal charges after review by the State’s Attorney’s Office. In this case, the sheriff’s office said the investigation was completed and the juvenile was charged.
No injuries were reported, and there is no indication the threat was acted on. The Charles County Sheriff’s Office said it takes all threats seriously and remains committed to student, staff, and community safety. Anyone with additional information is asked to call Officer Snyder at 301-609-3282, ext. 0756. Parents and guardians are urged to talk with their children about reporting concerning behavior, and are reminded that any threat of violence will be investigated thoroughly.
