CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A teen is behind bars after making a prank call about a weapon at a Beeville school and authorities want the public to know they take these situations very seriously.
It was Monday when Moreno Junior High in Beeville was put on lockdown after a 911 call about a weapon at the school.
Police searched the school and determined there was no weapon on campus.
That call was made by a junior high student, and it turned out to be a prank call. The student won't get a slap on the wrist, but instead, be charged with a felony offense.
"Regardless of whether you're a juvenile or an adult, and an adult under the Penal Code starts at the age of 17, these are very serious charges. They are felony charges," Beeville Police Chief Kevin Behr said. "These are the types of charges they can send people to prison. We take these very seriously."
Behr, along with BISD Police Chief Art Gamez, told 3NEWS that prank calls involving threats to schools are fully investigated and prosecuted. That Moreno Junior High student that phoned in the fake threat is now in juvenile lockup in Sinton.
"They will go straight to jail and they'll be processed. They will be housed. They will be put into a jail cell and they will be housed with other individuals who have committed other crimes but you're going to go in as a person trying to hurt our kids," Gamez said.
A total of 20 officers with the Beeville Police Department, Beeville ISD Police Department and the DPS searched the school for around three hours when the call was made.