A message was originally posted to Snapchat and featured a young man apparently holding a rifle, with the caption “F— CHS I’m going out with a bang” and “don’t go to school tmrw.”
Some people interpreted it “CHS” to mean Chesapeake High School in Essex. Others feared it might reference Chesapeake High School in Anne Arundel County, which has recently been the site of threats against African-American students.
Police were notified and began to investigate. However, they soon found that the threat actually originated in New Mexico and targeted a school there. The suspect in that case had been arrested, police said.
The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office Released the following Statement:
The St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office conducted an investigation into a social media message depicting an individual holding a gun, with a caption which included the letters “CHS”, and made the threat of “going out with a bang”.
The message was screen shot, and shared numerous times. The Sheriff’s Office and the St. Mary’s County Public Schools conducted a joint investigation into the origin of this message and evaluated the threat.
Investigation determined this was a previously investigated incident and that the post referenced Clovis High School, in New Mexico, and not Chopticon High School. The individual responsible for making the threat was arrested on April 5, 2018.
Anyone who may have additional information is asked to contact the Sheriff’s Office at (301) 475-8008. Callers can remain anonymous and contact Crime Solvers at (301) 475-3333, or text a tip to “TIP239” plus their message to “CRIMES” (274637). Through the Crime Solvers Program tipsters are eligible for an award of up to $1,000 for information about a crime in St. Mary’s County that leads to an arrest or indictment.
