By BRENT MARTIN
St. Joseph Post
A teenager has pleaded guilty in Andrew County Circuit Court to making terroristic threats through a social media post in which he claimed he would commit a mass shooting at an area school.
The Andrew County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office says 17-year-old Andrew Lemon, a Lafayette High School student, has been placed on four years of probation. He also has been ordered to serve 120 days of shock time in jail.
Lemon on April 28th sent messages to five friends on Snapchat, claiming he planned mass shootings at several schools, including Benton, Central, Lafayette, and Savannah High Schools as well as Truman Middle School.
The threat prompted school officials and law enforcement to have a number of area schools go into lock down. Extra security guards were posted at schools.
Prosecutors accused Lemon of using racial slurs against black students and threatening that he would commit a mass shooting at either Savannah, Lafayette, Benton High Schools, or Truman Middle School. The threat, deemed credible by police, caused those schools to go into a soft lock down and add security. Central High School, Bode Middle School, and Truman Middle School also went into a soft lock down as a precaution.
Officers with the Country Club Village Police Department took Lemon into custody after St. Joseph police officers detained him in the Lafayette High School Vice Principal’s office.
In the statement of probable cause, Andrew County prosecutors state Lemon reluctantly confessed to sending the message and stated he did not intend to carry out the threat.
No one was injured at any of the schools. The soft lock down at area school was lifted Monday afternoon.