The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office arrested three Creekside High School students after they allegedly created a “hit list” and a “lethal hit list” of other students.
According to the sheriff’s office, deputies with the Youth Services Unit made the arrests after conducting an investigation into suspicious communications between the students.
Deputies say they discovered text messages that discussed the identification of targeted students which included photos of their faces circled, aerial photos of Creekside High School with an on-campus location circled, and messages about using firearms to commit the crimes. SJSO says the “hit list” was created for select students the group wanted to physically harm and a “lethal hit list” was for students the group wanted to kill.
Detectives with the Major Crimes Unit were consulted, and they decided to charge the students with written threats to kill or do bodily harm and unlawful use of a two-way communication device. One 15-year-old and two 14-year-olds were arrested and taken to St. Johns County Jail.
“Nothing is more important to me than the safety of our children, and this is another example of the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office commitment to protect the more than 50,000 students who attend classes on a daily basis. I am proud of the youth services deputies assigned to this investigation, who acted quickly on the information that was provided and prevented a potential tragedy,” said Sheriff Rob Hardwick.
