A 15-year-old Astoria High School student who allegedly made verbal threats against another student will face a misdemeanor charge of menacing.
A parent at Astoria High School accused a student last month of repeatedly threatening to shoot, stab and kill her son. The Astoria School District requested that police investigate. Earlier this week, the police forwarded their investigation to the Clatsop County Juvenile Department and Chief Deputy District Attorney Ron Brown.
“It’s two young men at the high school, and it involves a female and some threats,” Brown said. “Threats are certainly something we take seriously. Threats just to do harm to someone are certainly crimes.”
The decision to file a charge came down to “the seriousness of the threats,” Brown said. “There were threats to stab someone at the homecoming dance.”
There was never any physical violence, but, according to police, the student has a knife collection at home that was concerning, Brown said.
The mother of the alleged victim created a widely shared Facebook post detailing the alleged threats and calling on people to contact the school district. School Superintendent Craig Hoppes, who declined to comment on whether the student has been suspended or expelled, said he cannot respond to social media posts.
“Sometimes social media is not a reliable source,” he said. “We have to determine the facts and act accordingly.”