EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — The El Paso County Attorney’s Office said school threats occur more frequently as the school year draws to a close and they take these threats seriously.
Katy Ayala, with the El Paso County Attorney’s Office Juvenile Unit, told KTSM the threats don’t have to be true nor do they have play out. The threat itself constitutes a crime, she said.
“It’s really important to know that even if it’s a joke, it doesn’t matter. We will prosecute on the case,” Ayala said.
She said a false alarm is considered a terroristic threat which is a felony.
Ayala said the County Attorney’s Office takes action immediately on these type of cases.
“We have to work quickly just because of the age, especially if we get a juvenile coming in at 16 years of age. That means there’s less time for them to be on probation, less time to work with rehabilitation. If a juvenile is detained in a case for this type of offense, they will usually be detained and the hearing that they have is the next day,” Ayala said.
Ayala told KTSM these cases have increased not only in the past year but the last few months.
She added that the County Attorney’s Office takes all threats against schools seriously and individuals will be prosecuted.
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