UNION COUNTY, N.C. – Officials in Union County are investigating after an alleged threat was found written in a bathroom at Marvin Ridge Middle School Monday.
According to the Union County Sheriff’s Office, the alleged threat was found in a boys’ bathroom stall and said that a shooting will occur at the school on Tuesday. School officials reported the threat to law enforcement, who immediately launched an investigation.
"There was some writing on a stall of the boys' bathroom that indicated there was going to be a shooting at the school and it was scheduled for tomorrow," said Union County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Tony Underwood. "They started looking at surveillance footage to try to identify who may have gone in the bathroom and who may have written this threat."
Deputies don’t have a suspect at this time, but according to Underwood, the threat is not considered credible.
"There's no reason to suspect this is a credible threat," Underwood explained.
As a precaution, the Sheriff’s Office will have extra security in addition to school resource officers on the campus of Marvin Ridge Middle School Tuesday.
"We are going to treat it seriously and it's a very serious crime to make a threat like this," Underwood said. "To make a false report is a Class H felony under North Carolina law."
Investigators say that as soon as they have a suspect, that person will be identified and charged.
The school notified parents of students at the school with a phone message Monday. NBC Charlotte received a transcript of the message:
Good evening, this is Principal Jones calling with an important message. In an effort to keep you informed and maintain open lines of communication, I want to let you know that there was a threat communicated today via a note on a bathroom wall. No one was injured all students and staff remained safe. We work very hard to ensure a safe school environment and take every threat seriously. Our administrative team is working with law enforcement to investigate this matter. Thank you for your partnership with Marvin Ridge Middle School.