Massachusetts

16-Year-Old Girl Arrested for Threat That Closed Taunton High School

A 16-year-old girl has been arrested following an investigation into a threatening note found in a bathroom at a high school in Taunton, Massachusetts.

Taunton police announced the arrest Wednesday afternoon, days after a Taunton High School employee found the threatening note and reported it to school administrators.

The note was directed at Taunton High School and mentioned Tuesday's date, which resulted in school being canceled for the day for students and faculty at Taunton High School and nearby Parker Middle School.

The schools reopened on Wednesday, the same day the teen suspect was arrested without incident, according to police.

"This was a great cooperative effort by our detectives, school resource officers, school administrators and faculty to identify this individual," Taunton Police Lt. Eric Nichols said.

The teen suspect's name was not released because she is a juvenile. She will be arraigned in Taunton Juvenile Court at a later date. It's unclear what charges she faces or if she has an attorney.

Parents told NBC10 Boston they were concerned about their children's safety after they learned about the anonymous note, and criticized the district's decision to note release details.

"If there was a date on it with children's names, those children and families should be notified ASAP," Carry Souza, a parent, said.

Although the schools reopened Wednesday, some parents, such as Elizabeth Vieira, decided they would not let their children attend, opting instead to take a wait-and-see approach.

"I would never forgive myself if something happened and I wasn't there," Vieira said.

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