The Christian County Sheriff's Office arrested a 15-year-old Friday after an alleged school threat made on Thursday at Christian County High School.
School Resource Officer Michelle Kent says a student threatened to "bring a gun and shoot up the school."
Authorities took the student into custody on the school bus and questioned him about the incident. Detectives say the student admitted to making the statement and said it was "meant as a joke."
According to investigators, the issue was brought to light after students overheard him make the comments and notified a teacher. Police say they are grateful that the students acted responsibly and notified staff.
Police have not released the name of the student, but charged him with 2nd Degree Terroristic Threatening and transported him to McCracken Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Paducah, where he will remain until his court date.
The incident comes days after a deadly school shooting in Florida killed 17 people and less than a month since a school shooting at nearby Marshall County High School, in which a student opened fire on classmates killing two and injuring several others.
Schools in the region have increased security at schools and police in the region have reported incidents of various threats made over the past few weeks. Police and other officials have implored students to not joke about these matters, for parents to communicate with their children on this issue and for students to be vigilant about any potential issues regarding fellow classmates.
