An 18-year-old man has been charged with two counts of violating the Mississippi Terroristic Threats law after posting social media threats involving the Lamar County School District.
Xadrien Watson was believed to have posted the threat and was located on Broad Street in Hattiesburg. He was taken into custody, booked into the Lamar County Jail and was charged with violating the Mississippi Terroristic Threats law that went into effect on July 1.
The school district police department investigated the threat on Saturday, Aug. 24, with the aid of the Hattiesburg FBI office, U.S. Marshals, Hattiesburg Police assigned to the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, and the Lamar County Sheriff’s Department.
Superintendent Tess Smith expressed her gratitude to the agencies that participated in the investigation.
Lamar County Schools Superintendent Tess Smith
“We are also thankful to the observant individuals who saw the posts on social media and took the appropriate steps to report it,” she said. “These incidents are not taken lightly and will be investigated thoroughly and subjects who make these threats will be prosecuted to the fullest extent.”
Smith posted information about the incident on the school district’s Facebook page, and she emailed the info to district teachers, parents, and high school students.
More soon as more information becomes available.