SCHOOL THREAT | Niles student charged in school threat

NILES — Police charged a Lawnview Avenue boy, 15, with felony inducing panic Thursday night and took him to the Trumbull County Juvenile Justice Center in relation to a threat Thursday involving Niles McKinley High School.

Police also executed a search warrant at the high school student’s home, removing maps of the school, a PVC pipe with a switch on it and a laptop computer, Niles Police Chief Jay Holland said today.

The boy’s parents brought him to the police station at 10:30 p.m., Holland said.

It is the third incident this week involving comments suggesting violence involving the Niles Middle School and high school. One was Wednesday involving the middle school and one Wednesday involving the high school.

No charges have been filed in either of those, but the Wednesday high school threat is still being investigated.

Holland said Niles police will take all threats to the school district seriously and take them to the juvenile prosecutor “even if they are joking.”

“The days of joking are over, which is like you can’t joke about blowing up a plane at the airport and you can’t joke about school shootings.

“There’s no way to tell who’s serious and who’s not, so we take it all seriously,” the chief said.

The police department has put extra officers at the school this week, especially at arrival and dismissal times.