A North Harford Middle School student was charged Wednesday with making a bomb threat on a social media site, the sheriff's office said.
Around 7 a.m. Wednesday, concerned student and parents reported to deputies at the Harford County Sheriff's Office northern precinct and school resource officer a post on the social media site ask.fm that threatened violent acts at the middle school, according to a news release from the sheriff's office.
Deputies immediately notified the school system and with the assistance of the sheriff's deputies and police dogs, began a thorough search of the school.
The middle and high school opened three hours late Wednesday because of exams, Cristie Kahler, spokesperson for the sheriff's office, said.
Deputies were able to get to the school, conduct their investigation and search for possible explosives before students arrived for the day.
For added security, deputies and school system personnel were at the school when it opened for the day.
Investigation by detectives and the Criminal Intelligence Unit led them to a 12-year-old sixth-grade boy, who was interviewed at the school and taken into custody, the sheriff's office.
No weapons were found on the student or in his possession, according to the sheriff's office. Detectives determined the threat posted was a hoax and the boy did not have the ability to carry it out, the sheriff's office said.
The student was charged with making a false statement of a destructive device, disturbing school operations and making a threat to harm school personnel.He was released into the custody of his parents.
The Harford County Sheriff's Office takes all threats to community and school safety seriously and will take all necessary steps to investigate any similar incidents, Kahler said.