Last week a 15-year-old was charged with “uttering threats” after a photo from social media was reported to RCMP.
The photo of ammunition, with a caption that warned students not to attend school the following Monday was posted to Snapchat on June 3. While images posted to Snapchat are removed from the site automatically after 24 hours, the affects of the photo still remain.
“This photo will affect the rest of his life, the consequences of this is far reaching if convicted,” said Sgt. Jeff Campbell with the Cochrane RCMP.
“This should be a wake-up call for him and other youth.”
The accused has been charged with a criminal offence and is only allowed to use a computer for school purposes. The 15-year-old is prohibited from social media, and if caught using any form of social media, the youth will be charged with breaching conditions.
“If they are found guilty, they could be facing jail time,” Campbell explained.
If convicted, the youth could potentially serve a custodial sentence (in jail) or a non-custodial sentence (house arrest), dependant on sentencing. Also if found guilty, there is potential the youth could have restrictions travelling to other countries.
“He could end up with a criminal record and can be denied entry depending on the county,” Campbell explained.
“It depends on the crime they are convicted of but given the nature of this charge they are more likely to be denied entry to another country.”
The picture from Snapchat resulted in RCMP officers visiting all three Cochrane high schools last Monday, warning officials of the situation even after the threat was determined to have “low credibility.”
The incident also resulted in speculative social media comments from concerned parents and residents in the community.
“We call it a ripple affect. This not only affects him but his family will now have to deal with it too,” Campbell explained.
“This has affected the community, it made people fearful and will have psychological affects on other students and teachers. It is not a joke.”
The accused has since been released to parental custody under strict conditions and appeared in Cochrane Provincial Court on June 14.
