Ferndale student held in threat, day after incident tied to other student

Police have arrested a suspect in connection with a threat Tuesday that sparked a lockdown at Ferndale High School and Ferndale Middle Schools, one day after the buildings were closed due to a similar incident.

Officers were called to the high school around 9 a.m. after a threatening note was found in a student restroom, the Police Department said in a statement.

Ferndale police identified the suspected author as a 16-year-old male student who attends the high school, according to the release.

He was arrested and held at Oakland County Children's Village pending review from the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office.

"Parents and families, we implore you to talk with your students about the seriousness of false threats," said Ferndale police Capt. David Spellman. "Threats are crimes, whether the person intends on carrying out the threat or not. Any threat will be investigated fully and presented to the county prosecutor. These kinds of incidents also cause undue stress and trauma on students and families and take officers away from real emergencies."

The development comes a day after police arrested a female student, also 16. She is accused of making a threat against the school on social media that prompted officials to close the high school and middle school.

The district said the threat was made Sunday night from an anonymous account on Instagram.

Bobbie Hayes Goodrum, the district's superintendent, told parents in a letter Tuesday that the two threats were not connected. Due to student privacy laws and the ongoing investigation, the district will not comment further on the incidents.

He also said the district's top priority continues to be the safety and security of its students and staff.

"It is also important to note that in both cases, no weapons were found on school grounds, and the individuals who made these threats did not have the means to actually carry them out," Goodrum said in the letter. "While that is reassuring in hindsight, it does not make up for the fear that these threats inflicted on our entire community. In the coming days, we will be bringing our students together so that we can collectively find a way to heal our school family."

cramirez@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @CharlesERamirez