Huntley police have uncovered a threat against the student population at Marlowe Middle School while they were investigating racist threats made toward a Lake in the Hills middle school student on Xbox Live.
This new threat comes after the Huntley Police Department said that on Monday they became aware of “disparaging racial and threatening comments” that were sent to a Lake in the Hills middle school student on Xbox Live.
Lake in the Hills Police Deputy Chief Pat Boulden told the Northwest Herald that threats were also made back in October towards this same student. In that incident, a former Marlowe Middle School student was charged with a hate crime.
On Thursday evening, police announced an update into the investigation. Officials said that additional messages were revealed during their investigation, including a “threat towards the student population” of Marlowe Middle School in Lake in the Hills this Friday. As a result, there will be an increased police presence at all Reed Road schools on Friday “out of an abundance of caution,” District 158 Superintendent John Burkey said.
The Huntley Police Department is working the investigation in cooperation with the Huntley Community School District 158 and the Lake in the Hills Police Department, because of “possible involvement of current or former students within the schools in the area”, according to a statement released by police.
“At this point in time, there have been multiple interviews conducted with several juveniles and parents. Various items have been seized in conjunction with a second executed search warrant. These items have been helpful in the investigation,” Huntley police said in a statement.
“The location from which the messages were sent has been tentatively identified, and our investigation has revealed persons of interest ultimately responsible for sending the messages.”
No charges have been filed yet; however, police said that “significant progress in regards to this investigation, and the furtherance of an act based on these messages, is being mitigated.” The case is still under active investigation.
Police are not releasing detailed information because this is an ongoing case that involves juveniles.