Prosecutors dismiss charge against Arlington High student who was accused of making threat
The Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office has dismissed a charge against an Arlington High School student who was arrested last month after she was accused of making a threat on Snapchat to harm a teacher.
The 17-year-old girl was booked at the Arlington city jail on Nov. 12 and charged on Nov. 14 with terroristic threat causing fear of imminent serious bodily injury, according to police and court records.
The district attorney’s office dismissed the charge on Dec. 2 at prosecutorial discretion.
The investigation began when the FBI notified Arlington police that the National Threat Operations Center flagged a possible threat that was posted to the social media site, a police spokesperson said.
The school’s principal wrote in a message sent to parents, “The FBI reported to the Arlington Police Department a social media threat made against our campus and a staff member. ... I appreciate your support as we work together to keep all students and staff at Arlington High School safe.”
A defense attorney representing the student said the message was in a private exchange between the girl and her friends.
“She never communicated a direct threat to anybody, including the faculty and staff at the high school,” Christopher Knox wrote in an email. “The criminal justice system recognized that instantly and worked as intended, by dismissing a prosecution brought without supporting evidence of an illegality. While I understand the sensitive nature of the situation in today’s climate, (the student) should never have been arrested.”
According to police, at time of the arrest, the teacher said she wanted to press charges against the student.
Arlington police said the girl admitted to writing the Snapchat message out of frustration but she told investigators she did not intend to harm anyone or the school.
She was released from jail on bond the same day she was arrested, police said.
Arlington ISD did not respond to requests for more information about the incident.
This story was originally published December 5, 2024 at 8:50 PM.