Mukilteo Beacon - Your Hometown News Source

A Mariner High School student could face severe penalties after posting a threat on the social media site Instagram at around 1 a.m. Monday.

Mariner principal Nate DuChesne said the student came forward at the end of sixth period Monday and admitted to creating the Instagram account and posting the threat.

DuChesne said officials believed the student’s intent was not to do harm to the high school, but rather to get back at another student.

Posted by “Anonymous” along with a photo of the high school, the vague threat stated: “You don’t know me. I’ve been place (sic) among you all for a purpose. One purpose only, to seek justice to this school. We’ve all been looked at as people who we’re not, but to comply with order. You don’t know me, however, I will be there when you least expect me.”

The student’s confession came after school district officials had contacted the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, and educators and law enforcement expended energy trying to determine whether the school faced a serious threat.

Sheriff’s spokesperson Shari Ireton on Tuesday said the school’s resource officer was investigating the alleged threat; it was too early to determine whether the suspect would face any criminal charges.

In notifying parents and the community about the incident, DuChesne said they didn’t think the school or students were in danger; nevertheless, he said, they felt it important that the community know how to deal with similar rumors or incidents.

DuChesne said, “Threats made to our schools are taken very seriously and are thoroughly investigated by the school and by local law enforcement. All threats, even those that a student thinks are funny and not intended to hurt anyone, can be extremely disruptive to the school and to the education of students.

“It is extremely important that students tell an adult if they receive or hear of any threats to their school. We encourage parents to report any information that they hear by calling their child’s school or by using our SafeSchools Alert hotline.

“You can leave a phone message or send a text to 425-374-0021, send an email to 1438@alert1.us, or visit the website at http://1438.alert1.us. If you feel the threat is an emergency needing immediate attention, report it by calling 911.

“Providing a safe and secure learning environment for students is our highest priority,” DuChesne said.

“The consequences for this action will be severe as it interrupted the school day and consumed a lot of resources,” he said.