ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. – St. Johns County deputies were investigating Tuesday after two middle schools experienced back-to-back threats that prompted lockdowns, though authorities later determined there was no credible danger in either case.
According to the sheriff’s office, early investigation revealed both calls came from a “foreign or blocked” number.
Deputies said the caller has made threats to conduct mass shootings, murders and bombings. The caller has also threatened the call taker and made vulgar statements. The same number has been documented in multiple swatting calls across the country.
“So hoax calls or spoofing calls are very challenging to investigate, especially when it involves an international number or an international actor, but it’s not impossible,” said Lt. George Harrigan.
Pacetti Bay Middle School received a threatening call on Tuesday, leading to a brief lockdown. The school’s youth resource deputy took charge of communications with the caller while the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office investigated the situation.
On Monday, Landrum Middle School was placed on a hard lockdown after staff received a call from an individual threatening a school shooting. The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office responded swiftly, with the Real Time Intelligence Center taking control of the school’s cameras to evaluate the threat and search the premises. Deputies found no evidence to support the credibility of the threat.
“Over the past two days, a few St. Johns County schools have received threatening phone calls from an unknown source,” said Superintendent Tim Forson. “We work collaboratively with the St. Johns Sheriff’s Office to ensure our schools, students and staff are safe and all such threats are fully investigated. If appropriate, schools will be placed on lockdown until the campus is inspected and cleared.”
While the threats were not credible, families were advised to expect a significant law enforcement presence in all St. Johns County schools on Monday.
“In law enforcement, we train for that. It’s another day at the office, so we don’t mind going through those reps and putting law enforcement in those areas when we need to. We certainly do not take it lightly, the toll that it takes on parents and students and staff, because obviously, they’re going through some issues dealing with this,” Harrigan said.
A News4JAX crew observed parents arriving at Landrum Middle School to pick up their children, either by car or on foot, following the incident.
“Obviously, the priority is the safety of the students and staff and anyone else on campus, so immediately it is getting as much information as we can from this individual, sending that to responding units, saturating that area with as much law enforcement presence as we can to ensure everyone’s safety,” Harrigan said.
Both threats are still under investigation, according to the sheriff’s office.
If you receive a suspicious call, please immediately notify law enforcement and document the number the subject is utilizing. You can reach the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office by calling 904-824-8304 or in the event of an emergency, 911.
