An 11-year-old boy in Florida was handcuffed and detained in county jail after allegedly boasting about a large collection of weapons and threatening to carry out a “kill list” targeting two schools, according to Sheriff Mike Chitwood. The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office confiscated a range of airsoft guns, knives, and swords from Carlo “Kingston” Dorelli after he showed a video of his weaponry to classmates and made violent threats.
Sheriff Chitwood detailed the case in a Facebook post, stating that Dorelli had created a list of names and targets, though he claimed it was all a joke. Despite the boy’s explanation, he was charged with a felony for making a written threat of mass violence. The sheriff’s office also released a video showing Dorelli being escorted into the jail with handcuffs on his wrists and ankles, along with his mugshot and photos of the seized weapons and replicas displayed on a table.
This dramatic presentation followed Chitwood’s recent promise to publicly shame those who make prank threats. The sheriff had announced a zero-tolerance policy, stating that any student involved in making false threats would have their photo released to the public for added embarrassment. This stance was in response to a surge of false tips following a deadly school shooting in Georgia that left four people dead.
Other states have also been grappling with a spike in school threat incidents. In Foley, Alabama, two teenagers were arrested for making terrorist threats on social media shortly after a school lockdown triggered by a teacher overhearing a weapon-related conversation. Additionally, in Indianapolis, a 12-year-old and a 15-year-old were arrested on separate threats against their school district. In Texas, two 12-year-olds were apprehended last week, adding to a list of at least ten young people arrested this school year for similar threats.
Sheriff Chitwood had a stern warning for those making false threats: “For those who think this is a joke, you’re not as clever as you think. You’re going to get caught,” he said.