Molalla Student Arrested After Online Threat; The district closes on Friday

Molalla River Schools closed its doors on Friday after a student was arrested for allegedly making online threats, according to a police spokesman.

Molalla police spokeswoman Nicole Ricker said the student was taken into custody Wednesday after he allegedly posted a threat of violence against Molalla River Middle School on Instagram.

Investigators concluded the threat itself was “not credible” but took the student to the Clackamas County Juvenile Justice Department for possible charges, she said.

“We took it very seriously,” she said. “The safety of our school is our top priority.”

Ricker declined to identify the student, citing his age.

In a message to parents, middle school principal Randy Dalton said students reported seeing a post with the gun emoji early Wednesday morning.

“Your (sic) next Molalla River Middle School on the 26th/27th. September,” the post said, according to Dalton.

False threats have caused real concern across the region over the past week, leading to the arrest of a Newport High School student on Tuesday for threats and a lockdown at Rex Putnam High in Milwaukie last Friday in response to a threatening statement that had been scrawled in a letter bathroom.

Several students across the region are also facing consequences for bringing weapons onto campus, including a 17-year-old who allegedly brought a gun to Gresham High last Friday. An 11-year-old also allegedly brandished a handgun near a middle school in Camas on Wednesday evening.

—Zane Sparling covers breaking news and dishes for The Oregonian/OregonLive. Reach him at 503-319-7083, [email protected] or @pdxzane.

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