- February 5, 2026
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office arrested a 13-year-old Buddy Taylor Middle School student on Wednesday, Feb. 4, after an investigation revealed the teenager had sent written threats last year against Indian Trails Middle School students, along with two photographs of a gun, in a group message over Snapchat.
The juvenile was arrested for written threats to kill or do bodily harm to another person. He was transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility, where he was transferred to the Department of Juvenile Justice, the FCSO said in a press release.
It was the second time in two days that a Flagler County middle school student was arrested for making written shooting threats, which is a second-degree felony. An 11-year-old ITMS student was arrested on Feb. 3 after an investigation revealed she had written a shooting threat on a school bathroom wall, the FCSO said. The student said she was dared online to write the message.
On Feb. 4, a BTMS school resource deputy spoke with the 13-year-old student. During the interview, the teen stated the messages were intended as jokes that got out of hand, according to the FCSO.
“We treat every threat with utmost seriousness, acting swiftly to ensure that the educational environment remains secure,” Flagler Schools Superintendent LaShakia Moore said in the FCSO release. “This collaboration between the FCSO and Flagler Schools enables immediate action and investigation of any threat reported within our district.”
Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly said one would hope the two incidents will deter other students from this type of behavior.
“Let this be a reminder for parents to be the sheriff of your own home and to monitor your children’s activities online and teach them the consequences of their actions and how to properly handle disagreements,” Staly said. “That education will last them for a lifetime. There is no gray area in the law and telling us it was a joke is not a defense. The defense is to not do it in the first place.”
Moore wrote a message to Flagler Schools parents on Feb. 4 addressing the incidents.
“I want to emphasize that our students and both campuses remain safe for the education of all students,” she wrote. “At no point has the security of our school buildings been compromised.”
