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Teen Charged In Instagram Threats Due Back This Month

A Santa Clarita Valley teen accused of posting Instagram threats online is due back in court later this month, according to an official with the District Attorney’s Office.

The teen, whose identity was not released because he is a minor, is reportedly a 14-year-old Golden Valley High freshman. He’s due back in court Oct. 16 for a hearing on his trial setting, according to Greg Risling, spokesman for the D.A. Office.

The student was arrested around 9 a.m. Aug. 17 in connection with the alleged Instagram threats, according to a Sheriff’s Station official.

The threats, which posted through the Instagram account “Yaboyplank,” showed pictures of guns and said: “TO THE PEOPLE OF THE SCV AREA. THERE WILL BE A HUGE (expletive) SHOOTING SOON…  ” and went on to say the threat was aimed at high school students.”

The teen is being charged as a minor. The teen has denied the charge, which is akin to pleading not guilty in adult court.

The incident was one of several in recent months that drew widespread activity to the Santa Clarita Valley regarding teens and their alleged social media activity.

From a previous story

A representative of the Detectives Bureau for theSheriff’s Station said the photos appeared to be stock Internet footage and “there is not evidence the suspect has any access to these guns,” accordingto Lt. Brenda Cambra of the Santa Clarita Valley Sheriff’s Station.

“Detectives immediately responded to the station to begin working this investigation,” Cambra said. “A police report for Criminal Threats was written. At least twenty-five additional calls from residents alerting us to this post were received during the night.”

Deputies assigned to the Santa Clarita Valley Station received a phone call from a woman reporting that threatening posts had been made on Instagram around 10 p.m. Saturday.

The Instagram account used a photo of a Valencia High School in Texas to threaten a shooting in the Santa Clarita Valley in another post.

“Detectives immediately responded to the station to begin working this investigation,” the statement from Cambra read.

The Hart district released a statement to parents the day before the arrest morning stating:  it “takes threats of this nature very seriously. We are working with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.”

Teen Charged In Instagram Threats Due Back This Month

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About Perry Smith

Perry Smith is a print and broadcast journalist who has won several awards for his focused, hyperlocal community coverage in several different regions of the country. In addition to five years of experience covering the Santa Clarita Valley, Smith, a San Fernando Valley native, has worked in newspapers and news websites in Los Angeles, the Northwest, the Central Valley and the South, before coming to KHTS in 2012. To contact Smith, email him at Perry@hometownstation.com.