16 year old accused of terroristic threatening against Paducah high school

PADUCAH, Ky. (KBSI) – A 16 year old faces a terroristic threatening charge in Paducah.

He was arrested on a charge of second-degree terroristic threatening Friday morning regarding threats made against Paducah Tilghman High School, according to the Paducah Police Department.

About 4 p.m. Thursday, the Paducah Police Department began receiving calls regarding a possible threat toward the school. Callers reported they saw threatening messages circulating online.

Screenshots of messages threatening to “shoot up” the school had spread throughout social media, according to the police department.

Paducah Police detectives began investigating the threats.

Police say  a 16-year-old student had created a fake Instagram account and used it to fabricate a conversation regarding a threat against the school.

The juvenile said he created the threat as a prank.

He was taken into Friday morning and taken to the McCracken Juvenile Detention Center.

Investigators said this particular incident was specific to Paducah Tilghman High School and is unrelated to school threats in other jurisdictions.

Paducah Police, the McCracken County Sheriff’s Department and Kentucky State Police had an increased presence at Paducah Tilghman Friday morning.