14-Year-Old from Mattoon Arrested in Effingham for Making a Threat on Snapchat

Mattoon police arrested a 14 year old girl Thursday at approximately 10:15 p.m. The arrest occurred in Effingham.

The juvenile has been charged with Making a Terrorist Threat, which is a Class X Felony punishable by a mandated six to thirty year term of imprisonment.

The charge alleges that the juvenile used the app “Snap Chat” to convey a threat of gun violence towards Mattoon High School. The threat was found to be a hoax, and the juvenile had no true intention of carrying out any act of violence against anyone. The juvenile was not armed and did not have access to firearms.

The juvenile was immediately transported to a juvenile lockup facility pending a court appearance.