FORSYTH, Ga. — Two people are in custody after allegedly making threatening statements about Central Georgia schools in the aftermath of the deadly Apalachee High School shooting outside of Athens, multiple law enforcement agencies report.
Law enforcement in Monroe County, Laurens County and Bleckley County have dealt with threatening comments made about schools, which have launched investigations in multiple counties. Those investigations have led to two arrests in both Laurens and Monroe Counties.
School districts across the country are grappling with an increase in threats made toward schools and students after the Apalachee school shooting, creating fear and disrupting learning.
After the deadly shooting in Barrow County killed two teachers and two students, Central Georgia has seen similar threats — many of which were unfounded — circulate online and in the community.
Monroe County
A Monroe County man Chris Cooper 26, was arrested Friday morning, according to the sheriff's office.
Cooper is accused of making a cryptic Facebook post saying "I'm just waiting for prayers for Mary Persons...' When are we going to get some media attention" the post read. The post then ends with the statement "Shooting season is among us."
Cooper was charged with "dissemination of information relating to Terroristic Acts," and the investigation is still ongoing, the sheriff's office says.
In Monroe County, the sheriff's office originally said Friday that they were aware of "threatening comments' that could borderline on Terroristic Threats" towards the Mary Persons High School, which caused them to up security ahead of the school day.
They also say Cooper was put under surveillance since Thursday evening, but the sheriff's office eventually took him into custody Friday morning after executing a search warrant at his home.
Cooper was booked into the Monroe County Sheriff's Office where he is being held without bond.
Watkins says they are still investigating and interviewing Cooper. She says they also served a protective order against Cooper, ordering him to stay away from school buildings.
They say they take all threats towards Monroe County "seriously" and ask anyone with information about this case or other threats to call the Monroe County Sheriff's Office at 478-994-7010 or the investigative division at 478-994-7043.
Laurens County
Then in Laurens County, an East Laurens High School student is accused of making "a verbal threat.... to harm others," the school district said in a Facebook post. The student was then identified and arrested, the district said.
The district says that students and staff "were not in danger of physical harm" and that safety is their top priority.
"The threat was taken seriously, and student safety was ensured," the district said.
The sheriff's office has not said anything on their social media about the comments.
Bleckley County
There were also concerns at Bleckley County High School Friday about a threatening Snapchat post that turned out to not be directed toward Bleckley County.
Bleckley County Sheriff Daniel Cape says they were made aware of a "general threat" against "BCHS" at around 9:50 a.m. They say a Snapchat screenshot with the threatening language was passed along to the sheriff's office, which investigated it as a potential threat against Bleckley County High School.
After the investigation and interviewing a minor, Cape says that the threat was actually in reference to Bacon County High School, not Bleckley County High School.
He says there was no credible threat, and there will not be any charges.
The district says they "will continue to use the policies and procedures already in place to take further measures to ensure the safety of all students and staff in Bleckbley County Schools."
After the shooting at Apalachee High School, many school districts have announced increased security measures.
That includes Washington County School District, which announced increased law enforcement and emergency services being present at the district for the coming weeks. They say between now and Sept. 18, they will be working with local law enforcement to review their processes and increase drills.
"Due to the events this week in our own state, we do not want students and parents to be alarmed with the additional law enforcement presence," the district says. "Working together, we can help ensure the safety of our students and staff."