Northwest High School in Cedar Hill had extra security today (March 3) because of a violent threat scratched onto a men’s bathroom wall, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office spokesperson Grant Bissell said.
The message made a threat about a shooting and included today’s date. However, there was no trouble at the school today, said Chuck McPherson, the Northwest R-1 School District’s coordinator of communications and community relations.
Bissell said a student discovered the message on the wall on Feb. 28 and notified an assistant principal and teacher. The faculty notified the school resource officer, who is a Jefferson County deputy.
He said extra deputies were at the school today, along with the student resource officer who is always there.
McPherson said administrators also spent the day at the school.
He said the threatening message also was sent to students over Snapchat, a photo and video-messaging social media platform.
McPherson said school officials do not know who wrote the message. Bissell also said no suspects have been identified.
McPherson said the school pays the salary of the SRO and has a security officer, who is employed by the district. He said both are always at school during the day.
Bissell said even though deputies were assigned to the school today, the district will not have to pay the Sheriff’s Office for their time.
He also said the threat was treated as a credible one.
It was the second threat to Northwest High this school year.
Jesus Cabrera, 17, of Kirkwood, a Rockwood Summit High School student, reportedly threatened to cause harm during Northwest High's homecoming activities, which were held Sept. 27-28. The message also included a picture of a firearm and a racist caption, the probable-cause statement said.
Cabrera was charged in October with a felony for allegedly making a terrorist threat against the school. However, the charge was later reduced to peace disturbance, a misdemeanor, and on Feb. 7, Cabrera was sentenced to four months in jail, and he was to be credited with any time he already had served, according to court records.