Hilo boy charged after social media posts prompt concerns
Police have arrested a 15-year-old male student from Hilo in connection with social media posts regarding a Hilo school.
He was charged late Thursday afternoon with disorderly conduct. He was then released to the custody of Juvenile Probation and is scheduled to appear today in Hilo Family Court.
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On Wednesday evening, police were alerted about posts on social media relating to members of a notorious gang being on island and potentially planning to go to a school in Hilo on Thursday.
There were no direct threats reported. However, the posts prompted many parents to contact police, fearing for the safety of their children.
On Thursday morning, several additional schools in Hilo and Puna also contacted police after learning about the posts.
Patrol officers in Hilo and Puna, as well as Community Policing Officers and members of the East Hawaii Criminal Investigation Division met with school administrators and stood by Thursday during school drop-off.
During the course of this investigation, police identified a 15-year-old high school student as the suspect responsible for the online posts. He was arrested at 7:50 a.m. upon his arrival at school.
Anyone with information concerning this incident is asked to call the police department’s nonemergency line at (808) 935-3311 or Crime Stoppers at (808) 9611-8300.
