DATE: January 10, 2022                    

CONTACT: Diane Richardson
Media Relations Office
(301) 609-6557 or (240) 682-1658

On January 9, the Charles County Sheriff’s Office received two calls regarding alleged threats of mass violence at St. Charles High School that would occur sometime this week. A preliminary investigation revealed several students at the school were followed on Instagram by two separate unknown accounts which contained a post of a photo of an airsoft gun–which resembles a firearm–and indicated violence would occur. The students notified their parents who then called the police. At this time it is not known who created the accounts, but investigators are working leads to identify the person responsible. The sheriff’s office Patrol Division, School Resource Section and Criminal Investigations Division are working with the Charles County Public Schools Safety and Security in an attempt to identify the involved individuals. Anyone with additional information is asked to call Officer Thompson at 301-609-3282 or the CCPS tip line at 301-302-8305. The CCSO is reminding people to report all suspicious activity and for parents to monitor their children’s social media accounts. The investigation is ongoing.

The Charles County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) was accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) in 2001 and has since earned the highest rating of Excellence. Established in 1658, the CCSO is one of the oldest law enforcement agencies in the United States. For more information, visit www.ccso.us.

Charles County Crime Solvers offers rewards of up to $1,000 for information that leads to the arrest or indictment of a person responsible for a crime in Charles County. All individuals who provide tips through Crime Solvers will remain anonymous. Anyone with information about an unsolved crime or the location of a fugitive may contact Charles County Crime Solvers by calling 1-866-411-TIPS. Tips can also be submitted online at www.charlescountycrimesolvers.com or by using the P3Intel mobile app, which can be found in the Android Store and Apple store by searching P3tips. For more information about the P3 program, click on this link: www.p3intel.com.