EDGEWOOD, N.M. (KRQE) – Emma Haviland, 17, is behind bars after threatening to shoot a local school in Edgewood. New Mexico State Police were alerted of the threat making rounds on social media on June 9 and the Moriarty-Edgewood School District was placed under high alert.
NMSP says the threat was posted on the social media app ‘Yik-Yak’ which lets users anonymously post threads. However, investigators were able to track down the threat which stated… “Hello Edgewood. Anyone want to shoot up the school? I need a partner.”
Story continues below
- Education: Albuquerque Public Schools looking to change bell schedule for ’24-25 school year
- News: NMDOT to remove murals along I-25 underpass
- Trending: KRQE News Special: The Albuquerque Police Department’s DWI Dismissal Scandal
- Community: Tips, activities to celebrate Earth Day alone or with the family
Yik-Yak posts are only visible within a five-mile radius, which led investigators to a home in Edgewood. That’s where they found 17-year-old Emma Haviland. Upon questioning the teen, NMSP says Haviland told them they weren’t serious about the threats and it was only a joke.
NMSP and school district officials say in this day and age threats like these are no laughing matter. “Any threat made to a student or a staff matters to our schools, we take it very seriously. We do have a great working relationship with all of the agencies, and students need to understand the consequences on the legal side as well as the school side,” said Todd Bibiano, Moriarty-Edgewood School District Director of Personnel.
NMSP says the teen is being held at the San Juan County Juvenile Services Center since Edgewood does not have a juvenile detention center. Haviland faces four charges. A third-degree felony for attempting to commit a felony, a misdemeanor for making unlawful threats, and two petty misdemeanors for disorderly conduct and interfering with the educational process.
NMSP says they work with the FBI on any threat they receive. They also hope that if students know there are consequences they won’t joke about school making threats about school shootings.