To the Editor,
This past December 14th marked nine years since the horrific Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut which took the lives of 26 people. In a sick tribute to this grim anniversary, schools in Sullivan County were suddenly inundated with threats of violence over the internet and by telephone.
While the initiators of these communications were impressing their friends and collecting “likes” on social media, local law enforcement was swinging into immediate action.
Led by Sullivan County District Attorney Meagan Galligan, the county’s police agencies quickly mobilized and countered with a barrage of subpoenas and search warrants.
Within a matter of hours state and local police followed the “electronic footprints” of the perpetrators right to the front doors of their homes and began making arrests.
By Monday, December 20th, six juveniles and one adult were under arrest in separate cases, charged with multiple felonies for making terroristic threats against several school districts.
The juvenile defendants in these cases not only face expulsion from their schools but the possibility, which is being explored, of having their parents pay restitution for the costs of these investigations.
I would like to commend District Attorney Megan Galligan for her leadership in coordinating the swift law enforcement response to these threats and thank all of the police agencies in Sullivan County who came together to work as a cohesive unit to protect our community.
Michael A. Schiff
Sullivan County Sheriff
