LIBERTY – A 14-year-old Cochecton
boy was arrested Saturday by Sullivan County Sheriff’s deputies
for allegedly calling in a threat to harm people at Sullivan County BOCES.
The threat, left on an answering machine at the school’s main office
in Wierk Avenue in Liberty on Thursday evening, was discovered by staff
Friday morning when they came to work.
The sheriff’s deputy assigned to BOCES as the school resource officer
was notified and contacted all police agencies in the county because the
threat did not specify a particular BOCES facility.
BOCES administration implemented their lockout procedure and then dismissed
classes early with all students and staff leaving the facility by 12:30
p.m.
Sheriff Michael Schiff said his office, along with detectives from the
Village of Liberty Police, consolidated their efforts Friday night with
District Attorney James Farrell drawing up a search warrant.
Saturday morning detectives executed a search warrant at a residence on
Tyler Road in the Town of Cochecton. Police seized computers, cell phones
and a rifle, but the target of the investigation, the 14-yer-old, was
not home at the time. He was staying with a relative in Liberty and was
tracked down just before noon at the elementary school playground behind
the Liberty Police station.
The youth, who police did not identify because of his age, was taken into
custody without incident.
He was charged with felonies of falsely reporting an incident and making
a terroristic threat and the misdemeanor of aggravated harassment. He
was released to his parents pending a future family court appearance.
Schiff said the suspect had attempted to use “fairly sophisticated
techniques” to disguise his voice. The sheriff would not elaborate
on how detectives overcame those obstacles.
He said investigators do not believe the youth ever intended to cause
actual harm to anyone.
