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How the GBI vets a 'real' online threat

After the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida, at least three Central Georgia school districts are investigating online threats or alleged threats.

That includes Houston County, Laurens County, and Monroe County.

Yvonne Thomas spoke to GBI Special Agent JT Ricketson who says determining if a tip is credible can be a challenge for investigators.

“If you see something, say something. If you see something that makes you feel uncomfortable, we call that a DLR [or] ‘doesn't look right,’” said Ricketson.

Within the last week, at least three Central Georgia schools are investigating threats made online.

“We get calls and we get tips. We have to vet through them,” said Ricketson.

He says they respond to every tip using standard protocol.

“If you know that person and you know they have the means to do something, or if you hear them talking about buying guns, now we're adding more information to something that already doesn't look right,” said Ricketson.

But if a person has not committed a crime, investigators are limited in what they can do.

“If it's a terroristic threat or anything like that, then yes, we would go and secure arrest warrants and we would affect an arrest on that,” said Ricketson.

But if investigators don’t have enough evidence to make an arrest, they alert all the parties involved and try to minimize the impact.

“That’s what makes our job so difficult. We're talking about trying to prevent something ahead of time,” said Ricketson.

Even if they notice someone posting strange or graphic content online, investigators cannot force anyone to seek help or a mental evaluation.

“We can go and talk to someone, and sometimes talking to them may change their course of action,” said Ricketson.

Last week, a Mary Persons High School student was charged after making a threat online.

Lt. Lawson Bittick would not comment on what the post said, but says it was too vague to charge 17-year-old Brandon Hudson with a felony.

Instead, Hudson was charged with disorderly conduct, which is a misdemeanor.

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