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Schools
Largo High, Middle schools locked down by hoax
By JONATHAN ABEL
Published April 18, 2007
LARGO - The day after the massacre at Virginia Tech University, a student at Largo High School played a bad joke: He sent a printed threat to Largo Middle School promising a Columbine-style attack. The threat was received on a printer in a science classroom about 11 a.m. Tuesday, according to Largo Middle School principal Fred Ulrich. The teacher alerted an assistant principal, and the whole school was locked down. "We didn't want to let our kids out until we were certain that at least that person wasn't around," Ulrich said. Computer support services were able to trace the printing back to Largo High School, where a 15-year-old boy had hacked into the server. The high school also was locked down, and authorities started looking for the boy, who had already left campus. When they found him, police determined that he hadn't taken any steps toward planning or implementing an attack. "This was a hoax on his part," said Largo police Chief Lester Aradi. "There was no credible threat." Aradi said the boy, whose name was not released, was not arrested. A charge of disrupting a school function has been forwarded to the State Attorney's Office for a possible prosecution. "If you look around the country," Aradi said, "there are a whole lot of these crazy threats that will probably take place over today and tomorrow." Added Ulrich: "It's really unnerving." Jonathan Abel can be reached at jabel@sptimes.com.
[Last modified April 18, 2007, 08:45:55]
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by shadow
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08/19/07 01:01 PM
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it is a bad joke. why are people such cowards nowadays?
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by dodo
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05/01/07 06:52 PM
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i attend dunedin high school and since friday we have been in bomb threats 3days in a row and in the same period and almost same time and still havent found who is under all of it.
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by Jean
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04/19/07 10:26 AM
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I have two granddaughters at this school. I find it outrageous that officials just dismiss this the way they have done. "NORMAL" kids wouldn't do something like this and if the officials had done their job in Virginia 32 people would still be alive.
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by sandi
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04/18/07 06:50 PM
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This boy should spend some time in jail or juvenile detention...Just to let him get away with it would only encourage others.....
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by Meredith
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04/18/07 04:51 PM
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Are you kidding? And there is a kid getting suspended for pulliing his pants down. Stupid kid...
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by dru
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04/18/07 02:17 PM
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i feel like that was a dumb joke.what happened at vt and columbine was very tragic. it is nothing to joke about.
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by Paul
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04/18/07 01:28 PM
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Can anyone explain to me why he wasn't arrested on the spot ????
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by Concerned Parent
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04/18/07 12:24 PM
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As a parent of two Largo Middle School students, this kind of violence is fresh on your mind after Monday's terrible tragedy.This Highschool student, how do we really know he's not a safety risk? Didn't the shooter at Virginia Tech make idol threats
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by Christina
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04/18/07 11:09 AM
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As a former student of LHS and LMS I hope the DA makes this "kid" take responsiblity for his actions. He didn't care when he hacked into the computer and I don't think he cares about the panic he caused one day after VT.
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by doug
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04/18/07 10:30 AM
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that kid needs to be expelled for the year! his parents must be real proud of the kid they raised.
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by Ellen
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04/18/07 09:50 AM
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I'm very concerned over this. This child should be removed from the school,and given counseling. I'm not so sure that it was a hoax,and I don't want to take that chance. My son attends that school. This needs to be handled seriously.
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by Marci
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04/18/07 09:47 AM
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My son goes to school with the boy that played this "hoax". If you looked at this kids My Space blog, you would agree that this should be more of a concern to the police department & the boy's family. The child is not right & needs some serious help.
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by Dan
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04/18/07 09:28 AM
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I cannot believe you would even say this was a "Bad Joke." Mooning a teacher is a joke. "I am going to kill a bunch of students" is NOT a JOKE.
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by Debbie
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04/18/07 09:05 AM
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My comments would be to Chief Aradi - the quotes contained in this article would make me believe this incident was taken too lightly - these should not be termed "crazy" threats. And, why was this student not taken to JDC or something immediately?
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by Michelle
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04/18/07 08:11 AM
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I would HATE it if my child were to be so stupid. However, in this case and every similar case I believe that the State Attorney's Office should prosecute. This time they say there is no threat, what about next time?
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by Laura
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04/18/07 08:04 AM
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Not arrested? Possible prosecution? What has happened to discipline?? Maybe some community service hours will wake him up.
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