Salem Police Arrest 10-Year-Old for Phony School Shooting Report

The female student was charged with several crimes and released to her parents.

Salem-News.com

(SALEM, Ore. ) - Salem Police arrested a 10-year-old third grade student from Bush Elementary School for calling in a false report of a shooting at the school.

The Willamette Valley Communications Center received a call at approximately 2:30 p.m. on Wednesday from somebody claiming to be an eleven year old female, stating that somebody had been shot in the arm while on the playground at Bush Elementary School.

Several officers responded to the scene and arrived in less than five minutes, but they were unable to locate any shooting victims. There were several students and parents about on the playground where the shooting allegedly occurred, but none had witnessed any shooting or violence. In checking with school officials, they were also unaware of any such incident.

Officers worked closely with school officials and interviewed several children before arresting a 10-year-old female student for calling in the false report. The student was charged with Disorderly Conduct in the First Degree, Misuse of 911 and Giving False Information to a Police Officer, then was released to her parent.

Police urge all parents to speak with their children about calling in false reports. These false reports are not only illegal and can lead to criminal charges, but they also disrupt operations at the schools or from wherever they are called. They endanger the lives of others by causing emergency personnel to respond in an urgent manner to the call and take valuable public safety resources away from other areas of the City and others who may truly be in need of emergency responders. These reports are also costly to the taxpayers and take valuable time away from all involved.

Source: Salem Police Department