Updated statute makes social media threats illegal

The Governor will be making some changes on Friday. He is strengthening an existing statute making it a misdemeanor to make threats against a school on social media or any other way.

It will also be a felony if a person is found in possession of dangerous weapons in the furtherance of carrying out a threat.

They say it will help deter people from making threats online since it will now be a punishable offense.

“It became almost epidemic. Schools were closing for days sending children home all kinds of things and a very significant number, more than half of them no criminal charge could be made based on the way the threat came in so it gave our law enforcement folks very little that they could do as an enforcement tool,” says Guy Bleisner, School Safety and Security Analyst for the state.

Bleisner would also like to thank Representatives Patrick McDonald and Wendy Horman for helping to make this possible.