Social media threat against site of 1993 Ky. school shooting leads to juvenile’s arrest

A juvenile who allegedly made a threat on social media toward East Carter High School was arrested Wednesday, according to a Kentucky State Police news release.

KSP were contacted by the FBI regarding the threat. State police conducted an investigation and successfully identified and contacted the juvenile.

During an interview, the juvenile admitted to making the threat on a social media app, KSP said. As a result, the juvenile was arrested and taken to the Boyd County Juvenile Detention Center. They were later transported to the Breathitt County Juvenile Detention Center and charged with second-degree terroristic threatening.

KSP collaborated with the Carter County School District Police and the Carter County Court Designated Worker program throughout the investigation.

Carter County Superintendent Paul Green issued a statement saying safety measures were implemented to ensure the safety of students and staff, including putting additional law enforcement officials in place as a precaution.

Thirty years ago, East Carter High School was the site of one of the most high profile school shootings in Kentucky history.

In January 1993 at East Carter High School, Gary Scott Pennington, then 17, fatally shot a teacher and custodian and briefly held students hostage before surrendering, the Herald-Leader previously reported.

This story was originally published February 1, 2024 at 7:03 AM.