Irked Sheriff Posts 11-Year-Old's Mugshot

A Florida sheriff fed up with a spate of false school-shooting threats is trying a new tactic to get through to students and their parents: He's posting the mugshot of any offender on social media. Law enforcement officials across the country have seen a wave of school shooting hoaxes recently, including in the wake of the deadly attack at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia, that killed two students and two teachers. Mike Chitwood, sheriff of Volusia County, on Florida's Atlantic coast, said he's tired of the hoaxes targeting students, disrupting schools, and sapping law enforcement resources. In social media posts on Monday, Chitwood warned parents that if their kids are arrested for making these threats, he'll make sure the public knows, per the AP.

"Since parents, you don't want to raise your kids, I'm going to start raising them," Chitwood said. "Every time we make an arrest, your kid's photo is going to be put out there. And if I can do it, I'm going to perp-walk your kid so that everybody can see what your kid's up to." Chitwood made the announcement in a video highlighting the arrest of an 11-year-boy who allegedly threatened a school shooting. Chitwood posted the boy's full name and mugshot to his Facebook page. In the video, which had more than 270,000 views on Facebook as of Monday afternoon, the camera pans across a table covered in airsoft guns, pistols, fake ammunition, knives, and swords that police claim the boy was "showing off" to other students.

Later, the video cuts to officers leading the handcuffed boy to a secure facility. The boy's face is fully visible at multiple points. The video prompted a stream of reactions, with many residents praising Chitwood, calling on him to publicly identify the parents as well—or press charges against them. Others questioned his decision, saying the 11-year-old is just a child, and that the weight of the responsibility should fall on his parents. Under Florida law, juvenile court records are generally exempt from public release, but not if the child is charged with a felony, as in this case.

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