Juvenile arrested for false shooting rumor
May 18—RUSH COUNTY — The Rush County Sheriff's Department reports the arrest of a juvenile who, according to a news release, posted a false rumor that an unnamed student brought a gun to school and that there would be "bloodshed on Tuesday."
The allegation, which had no foundation in reality, caused great concern for parents, students and the community in general, the release states.
The shared information also states that the threat was taken seriously by both school personnel and law enforcement and was thoroughly investigated.
"Through this intensive process, it was clearly determined that this rumor was just plain false," the release states. "No evidence supported this post, nor did any student provide any details in this investigation to corroborate any information noted in this post."
The release continues: "As this rumor continued to spread, we saw widespread concern amongst our community resulting in mass student absences on the specified Tuesday. Rushville Consolidated High School had nearly 50% of its student body absent, and Benjamin Rush Middle School had 54% absent.
"The student who was the alleged person in this falsely posted rumor and the student's family were subjected to harassment in various forms. As a critical component of the investigation, we conducted multiple interviews and searches of their personal property. They were cooperative and understanding throughout this entire process.
"The Rush County School Corporation also cooperated throughout the entire investigation. It is essential that parents understand your local law enforcement and school corporation have very specific policies and protocols in place to ensure our number one focus is the protection of the entire student body. In this situation, this includes protecting the victim of this baseless allegation."
Rush County Sheriff Allan Rice said, "The safety of our community and our schools is of the utmost importance. False rumors of a school shooting are not only irresponsible, but they are also illegal. We will not tolerate this kind of behavior. We will take all necessary steps to ensure our schools remain safe and secure."
The student, who has not been identified because of their status as a juvenile, has been criminally charged.
The release also offered a word of thanks to the Rushville Police Department for their commitment and assistance in this investigation, and a reminder that all suspects are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
