Online threat locks down Orange County school. Investigation shows it was a 2018 hoax.
A social media post that started in New Mexico prompted an investigation into a possible school shooting threat Thursday at an Orange County high school.
Cedar Ridge High School in Hillsborough was placed on a soft lockdown Thursday morning while Orange County Sheriff’s Office school resource officers investigated, according to a Sheriff’s Office news release.
The post was seen online by a Cedar Ridge High School parent, after it was shared by many students in the district, the news release stated. The parent told the school’s principal, Anna Hipps, about the post on Thursday morning, it stated.
Officials said the post was created in 2018 by a student in New Mexico and has been shared in other places. It included the photo of a rifle and said there would be violence at “CHS.”
Tennessee law enforcement investigated an identical threat Wednesday in several school districts in that state, the release stated. No credible threats were found Wednesday in Tennessee or in the Orange County Schools district on Thursday officials said.
The Sheriff’s Office planned to keep extra security at the Cedar Ridge campus throughout the day Thursday as a precaution, they said. Friday is a district holiday, and school will not be in session.
