King William High School on lockdown due to social media threat, student arrested

KING WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- King William High School is on lockdown Friday morning due to a social media threat, prompting the arrest of a student, according to the school district.

A student told school officials the morning of Friday, Sept. 5, about a social media post that claimed another high school student may be possessing a weapon, per a social post from King William County Public Schools.

The student who made the threat was taken into custody. However, according to the school division, the student did not possess a weapon on their person or in their personal belongings.

The district said that due to Friday morning's lockdown happening while students came into the building, some students remained on school buses in a "secure location," and other student drivers were sent back to their vehicles.

As of 10:05 a.m. on Friday, King William High School remains on lockdown, and Hamilton Holmes Middle School remains in hold, according to the division.

According to King William County Sheriff Thomas Lumpkin, the student was taken to Merrimack Juvenile Detention Center, but as of 12:25 p.m. on Friday, no weapon was located after local law enforcement agencies used canines to sweep the campuses as a precaution.

"We want to ensure both campuses are free of any threat to safety," the district said Friday morning. "At this time, no students are being released from their locations until the law enforcement investigation concludes."

Lumpkin added that all students passed through metal detectors and said that the student made a "false media post."

All schools and children are safe, and charges for the student are still pending, according to Lumpkin.

8News has reached out to King William County Public Schools for more information.