The St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office has announced the arrest of a 12-year-old St. Cecilia Junior High School boy who now faces four counts of terrorizing.

Sheriff Becket Breaux announced that on Oct. 3, threats were made on Instagram regarding Cecilia Sr. High School and Cecilia Jr. High School. The next day, subsequent threats of harm were made on Instagram against an employee with the St. Martin Parish Sheriffs Office and a Lafayette television station.

Following an immediate and extensive investigation, investigators with the St. Martin Parish Sheriffs Office were able to identify the suspect wanted in connection with these threats as a student from Cecilia Jr. High School. Following the culmination of the investigation, the juvenile suspect was arrested Monday afternoon and booked on four counts of terrorizing. The minor was later released to the custody of his parents.

The Sheriff’s Office says when the threats began circulating, several individuals began posting false information on Facebook as to the alleged identity of the person responsible for the posts. The Sheriff’s Office is urging the public to allow law enforcement and the St. Martin Parish School Board to follow their protocols and investigative procedures when these types of incidents occur before posting false information and spreading false rumors. Doing so can cause irreparable harm to innocent individuals.

The Sheriff’s Office went on to ask parents to speak with their children to let them know that social media threats, or threats of any nature, will not be tolerated and can have far reaching consequences. Individuals responsible for making such threats will be charged to the fullest extent of the law.