The Osceola County Sheriff’s Office says it is investigating a wave of reported threats connected to Harmony High School, prompting a larger law enforcement presence at Friday night’s home football game against St. Cloud.
Maj. Alex Guevara with the Sheriff’s Office said deputies received 30 threat calls in a 24-hour period.
Investigators say the situation began with a tip claiming the teen who was beaten in a mob attack last week was planning to “shoot up” the football game.
Deputies say they investigated, spoke with the teen’s family and cleared him.
Guevara warned whoever is spreading the threats and rumors that deputies are taking it seriously.
“Whoever is behind all this and thinks this is a joke, well this is not a joke,” he said. “Very soon they’re not going to be laughing. School safety and the safety of the community, it is very important for our sheriff, our agency and everybody involved here.”
Deputies say additional rumors Friday morning led to a lockdown notification being sent to parents.
One Harmony parent, who asked not to be identified, said her son contacted her from school saying he was scared after seeing troubling texts circulating within the school.
She said she believes about 100 parents picked up their children.
When asked what was going through her mind as she went to pick up her son, she said, “Columbine came in mind like is Harmony going to be the next mass shooting? Am I going to be able to get my son in time?”
With continued concerns about possible violence at high school football games, including a shooting three weeks ago in the parking lot of Ocoee High School, deputies increased their visibility at Harmony’s game.
Some families said the presence was reassuring.
“The more protection the better,” Albert Hilt said.
Others, like the mother who removed her child from class Friday, said it made them too uneasy to attend.
“It just makes me really worried that something could happen and I don’t want to put my kids in that situation,” she said.
The sheriff’s office says the investigation is ongoing.
They would not say whether the source of the threats is Harmony students, but added that more arrests are expected.