Carter Middle School student charged with making threat

WARREN — A 13-year-old Carter Middle School student was arraigned on charges Oct. 17 after he allegedly threatened to “shoot up the school and kill a student.”

The office of Macomb County Prosecutor Peter Lucido issued a news release alleging that the Warren student made the threat on Oct. 16. The teen was arraigned on a threat of terrorism charge, which is a 20-year felony if convicted, and for making school threats, which is a one-year misdemeanor, if convicted.

Carter is located in Warren and is part of the Warren Consolidated Schools district.

The eighth grade student was arraigned in front of Macomb County Chief Juvenile Referee Linda Harrison in Mount Clemens. Harrison denied bond and ordered a mental health evaluation for the student.

The news release did not state if the teen had a particular student in mind when making the threats. At press time, he was being held in the Macomb County Juvenile Justice Center.

After the arraignment, Lucido commented on the charges.

“My office has a zero-tolerance policy for all school threats,” he said in a prepared statement. “We affirm our commitment to safeguarding every student’s right to learn and all teachers’ right to teach without the threat of violence.”

A pretrial hearing is scheduled for the teen at 11 a.m. Nov. 1 in front of Juvenile Referee Michael Gibbs.

On the evening of Oct. 17, Warren Consolidated Schools Superintendent Robert Livernois distributed a letter via email to parents regarding the incident. In the letter, Livernois assured parents that “at no time was there a credible threat, and the student in question is no longer in school.”

According to the letter, the student had been taken into police custody Monday evening. Livernois also stated the threat to the school had been reported by students to district administration at the end of the school day Oct. 16.

The superintendent said he sent the letter on Tuesday to “help promote the sharing of accurate information.” He encouraged parents to help their children understand that saying inappropriate things at school can get them into trouble.

“I also commend the students who brought the information to the administration as it continues to demonstrate that our students are comfortable sharing difficult information with adults,” Livernois continued.

The letter also was posted on the district’s Facebook page, where some commenters asked why parents weren’t notified of the charges sooner.

Questions about the incident can be directed to the superintendent’s office at (586) 698-4093. According to the release from Lucido’s office, prosecutors continue to work to educate students to stop the threats and violence. Anyone interested in hosting a free presentation at their school about preventing school threats, violence, and bullying can contact Heather Esposito at (586) 469-5642 or heather.esposito@macombgov.org.