FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A South Florida student was arrested after allegedly making threats online against a high school in Coral Springs.
Eighteen-year-old Rachell Diane Varela Gomez appeared before a judge, Wednesday morning.
“You’ve been charged with one count of intimidation threats to kill or injured,” said the judge.
Police said the senior was accused of making threats online against Coral Springs Charter School, which she attends.
They said she sent a message on Snapchat threatening to shoot up the school while on campus.
The message said, “I’m dead (expletive) ’bout to shoot up this dumb (ahh) school,” according to police.
She was arrested before dismissal.
In court, prosecutors argued that there was no justification for her post.
“Despite her explanation, having a bad day, failing a test, none of it can possibly justifies or even explain making threats on social to shoot up a school,” said the prosecutor.
But her lawyer said there was no real meaning behind the violent wording.
“This is basically a person saying foolish things,” said the defense attorney.
Gomez has been ordered to stay away from the school, wear a GPS monitor and not have access to the internet until further notice.
Students at the school said she should’ve been more careful.
“With all the cases we’ve seen, I don’t know how you just do that and throw your life away. You’re not even out of high school yet,” said a student.
And they agree with what the prosecutor said.
“I think kids should really know better not to do that. We keep seeing examples of more people getting in trouble for that,” said a student.
Her bond was set at $10,000, which she has since posted, and is now waiting to have her ankle monitor fitted before being able to bond out.
Meantime, another pair of students got in serious trouble after they were both charged for making threats from out of state last November.
Fifteen-year-old Logan James Gollinger and 14-year-old Juan Antonio Banos are accused of threatening violence at Somerset Academy in Pembroke Pines.
Detectives believe the duo responsible for the threats are part of an informal group of gamers, adding that the out-of-state suspects are not attached to the school.
“Threats of violence to shoot and kill students, staff, community members, and responding police officers,” said Pembroke Pines Police Capt. Adam Feiner. “They are part of a bigger, more powerful, organized group that makes either swatting type calls or threats to cause violence.”
Officials said the threats were made over the phone and they lasted about a week.
Both of them are now in South Florida and charged with felonies.
Gollinger’s mother, Elizabeth Smith, was also arrested along with them as, police said, she encouraged her son to delete evidence related to the investigation.
Smith turned herself in on Wednesday and bonded out hours later.
“Why did you delete the evidence from your son?” said 7News reporter Gail Levy as the mom walked out of jail. “Would you do anything differently?”
But Smith remained silent as she walked away to a waiting car.
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