Student charged with writing threatening message at Toms River North High School

A 15-year-old Toms River North High School Sophomore has been arrested for allegedly writing a threatening message on a bathroom wall there on December 6, 2016, according to Township Police Chief Mitch Little and District Superintendent David Healy in a joint news release.

Chief Little credited the strong cooperation between the police department and the school system for apprehending the student.

Healy thanked the students who came forward and "did the right thing" by reporting the initial incident and provided information to Principal Edward Keller and School Resource Officer Frank Bopp that led to the arrest.

Read more about the incident here: http://wobm.com/criminal-probe-opens-into-toms-river-hs-north-graffiti-threat/

The teen was charged with Causing False Public Alarm. He was processed at the Toms River jail and released to the custody of his father, pending a future court date.

In addition to the criminal charges, the student will face disciplinary action at the school level, according to the news release. The discipline levied by the school system could range from suspension up to a recommendation to the board of education for expulsion.

A final decision will be made after a thorough review of all the facts, according to Healy.

Little added that there was never any credible threat to harm anyone at the school.

"The student had no means or verifiable intent to act upon his threats. As always, we initially treat any incident such as this as legitimate until we can prove it otherwise. It is regrettable that a misguided decision by a child caused wide spread alarm to the community and wasted taxpayer resources," Little said.