GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – The last former student charged in connection with a series of social media threats against Green Bay high schools was sentenced Wednesday to a year on supervision, and ordered to write a paper on the emotional toll of school shootings in this country.
State law prohibits the media from identifying those being prosecuted in juvenile court.
During the course of a one-week span in December, there were three separate social media threats against Preble High. Four students were charged, been found delinquent — the juvenile version of guilty – and have been sentenced.
At Wednesday’s hearing, the 15-year-old offered no comments or apology before the sentence was imposed.
Judge Tammy Jo Hock also ordered the teen to perform 100 hours of community service, write an apology letter to Green Bay schools, participate in victim-witness panels, stay off social media, and enroll in school.
“I hope you take this as a chance that you can do better,” Judge Hock told him.
The teen was the fourth former Preble student to be sentenced. All were expelled.
A 16-year-old boy responsible for another threat was placed on county supervision until he turns 17 late in the year. In Wisconsin, 17-year-olds are under the jurisdiction of adult courts. He must perform 76 hours of community service, and not use social media while on supervision. He was barred from social media and also must write a paper on the impact of actual school shootings.
Two teenage girls responsible for another of the Preble threats received a similar sentence, albeit with 100 hours of community service because their supervision time is a full year.
The week after the threats at Preble, a student brought a gun to East High. Two students were found delinquent in those cases.
A 15-year-old boy who provided the gun — and also was found delinquent for a series of other incidents — was placed on two years of supervision in an out-of-home setting. Specifically, he was placed at Rawhide Youth Services near New London. He must also perform 100 hours of community service.
The 16-year-old girl who brought the gun to East was placed on supervision for a year, and must perform 100 hours of community service.
The combination of the threats led the school district to place all middle and high schools into online learning for several days in December. No one was injured in any of the events.
On March 15, there was another social media threat, this time involving West High.
The boy, whose age was not disclosed, faces charges of making a terroristic threat and using computer to facilitate a threat. Additionally, he faces two battery and other charges from already-pending cases. Prosecutors want the cases moved to adult court, where he could face more severe consequences. He returns to court May 18.
