Two 13-year-olds were arrested after they reportedly threatened to shoot students in a message written on a bathroom mirror at Tavares Middle School.
The students, whose names are being withheld because they are juveniles, were charged with making written threats to kill and disruption of school functions.
The School Resource Deputy of the school, located at 1335 Lane Park Cutoff, was notified of written threats to kill found in a restroom on campus Thursday morning, according to an arrest report from the Lake County Sheriff’s Office.
Shortly after being notified, the deputy was approached by two female students who provided a photograph taken in the handicap stall of the women’s second floor bathroom, located in the “500” building, the report said.
In the photograph, the mirror was shown with writing stating, “SCHOOL SHOOTING Friday @ 2:00 EveryBODY IS DEAD.” The deputy went to the restroom and observed the writing in person, the report said.
School video footage was viewed and showed five students in the area of the restroom just before the incident was reported. Based on the footage, a 13-year-old female student from Mount Dora was determined to be involved with the threat, the report said.
Upon speaking to the student, she admitted to the officer that she wrote the message on the mirror, the report said. She also advised that she was accompanied by her friend, another 13- year-old female student from Tavares, who had written the second half of the message.
The second student denied any involvement of being in the restroom stall at the time of the incident, but an administrative search revealed she was in possession of one of the markers used to write on the mirror, the report said.
Lake County Schools Safety and Security was notified of the incident, at which time a call out was made to all parents notifying them of the threat, the report said.
Both juveniles were transported to the Lake County Jail without incident.
