Teen threatened to ‘shoot up’ Oxford, Lake Orion, Brandon Cranbrook high schools

By Jim Newell

Review Editor

A 16-year-old boy from the United Kingdom has been arrested for making threats of violence against Lake Orion, Oxford, Brandon and Cranbrook high schools, the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office said.

The teen also allegedly made threats against 37 other businesses and schools across the United States. None of the threats proved to be credible.

The teen was arrested at his home on April 13, five days after making the threats on April 8.

Oakland County Sheriff Michael Bouchard said at the time the threats were received that the sheriff’s office would use all available resources to investigate threats against any school, business, or house of worship.

“As I said at the time, we were going to be aggressive to hold perpetrators accountable,” Bouchard said. “In conjunction with our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and police officials from the United Kingdom, that has in fact occurred and a suspect has been arrested. Let this serve as a message to anyone who would threaten our schools or any other institution in Oakland County. We will come for you.”

The arrest was the culmination of an investigation from the sheriff’s office, the Bloomfield Hills Department of Public Safety, and 14 other agencies nationwide, including Homeland Security and police in the United Kingdom, the sheriff’s office reported.

Homeland Security is coordinating with law enforcement in the United Kingdom as to possible charges. The teenager was released to his parents while the investigation continues.

The threats were made by phone and were initially believed to come from Florida and New York state, based on the area codes.

Extra patrols were assigned to Oxford High School after the calls were made. During that investigation, detectives learned Cranbrook, Lake Orion High School and Brandon High School received similar harassing calls.

The caller to Oxford High School claimed to be Ethan Crumbley, the former Oxford student charged with multiple felonies including first-degree murder in the Nov. 30 slayings of four students and for wounding six other students and a teacher. He is being held without bond in the Oakland County Jail awaiting trial.

Using a British accent, the caller said he was depressed and was going to “shoot up the school” and “finish” the job he started, according to an incident report from the sheriff’s office.

In a second call to the school, the caller faked an Indian accent and claimed he was going to shoot up the school. When asked for his location, the caller claimed to be in the school. Juveniles could be heard laughing in the background.

The school official said law enforcement had been contacted, prompting the caller to hang up.

A third call was answered by a Sheriff’s School Resource Deputy, the caller threatened to come and slap the Deputy if anyone hung up on him. Laughter was again heard in the background.

Detectives confirmed the same number was used in the threats against Brandon and Lake Orion high schools.

Oakland County deputies were dispatched to Lake Orion High School, 495 E. Scripps Rd., at 1:20 p.m. April 8 after getting a report of someone trying to enter the school with a rifle.

The school liaison officer was on scene and said that no one had been allowed into the school during the time of the call.

Deputies checked the exterior grounds but did not find anything. The school liaison officer checked security footage, which also showed nothing suspicious.

While at the high school, deputies learned that other schools in the area had gotten a similar type of phone call.

In the Brandon threat, the male caller claimed there was a man in a black pickup truck in the parking lot with an AR-15 gun and he was going to shoot up the school.

Detectives called the number back and the person who answered claimed to be Ethan Crumbley. When asked for his location so Detectives could further investigate the claim, he refused to provide it.