(CENTREVILLE) - Authorities say the public should be aware of recent statements made on social media directed at high school students.
The Centreville-Constantine Police Department and the St. Joseph County Prosecuting Attorney's Office are advising the public that threatening statements made through social media are not harmless jokes and may constitute criminal offenses under Michigan law.
On August 28 at approximately 7 AM, the Centreville-Constantine Police Department received information concerning online threats directed toward students at Constantine High School. The threatening content was posted on TikTok and other social media platforms by an account using variations of the username "catinthehat."
Authorities say the posts identified multiple students by first name, stated that those students were "next," and included additional statements and imagery suggesting violence or harm. Due to the specific nature of the statements and the identification of individual students, police, with the assistance of the Michigan State Police Marshall Post and Federal Bureau of Investigation, immediately began investigating and coordinating appropriate safety measures with Constantine Public Schools.
Since the initial report, law enforcement has become aware of additional "copycat" accounts posting similar threatening content in other school districts. Those accounts are also being investigated.
The Prosecutor's Office wants to be very clear: creating, sharing, reposting, or participating in threatening social media content can have serious legal consequences for juveniles as well as adults.
Anyone with information concerning the original account, subsequent copycat accounts, or the identity of any person involved is encouraged to contact St. Joseph County Central Dispatch at 269-467-4195.
Individuals who encounter additional threatening posts should preserve the content, including screenshots, usernames, dates, times, and links, and immediately report it to law enforcement rather than engaging with or further circulating the material.