Students facing charges linked to hoax threats at Carolina Forest High School
HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WMBF) - For the third day in a row, authorities received a bomb threat against Carolina Forest High School.
Horry County Schools said police received another bomb threat on Friday, making it four bomb threats total the school has received since Wednesday.
The call was made while school was in session, officials said.
However, the district said the threat was addressed quickly “to provide as little interruption to the school day as possible.”
The Horry County Police Department added that, like the other bomb threats, this too was a hoax.
Additional safety measures were already in place, and police did a sweep of the school before students and staff arrived Friday morning.
STUDENTS FACING CHARGES
Two students have been charged after an investigation into the Thursday night bomb threat toward Carolina Forest High School.
Horry County police spokesperson Mikayla Moskov confirmed to WMBF News two local students were charged with communicating a school threat.
“Their actions created further worry, unrest, and misinformation in our community,” said Moskov. “We will hold individuals accountable for their illegal activities.”
As of writing, the names of the students have not been released.
The students were taken to the Department of Juvenile Justice in Columbia.
Moskov later added that all the threats are being viewed as separate cases and active investigations.
META SAYS AI SPREAD MISINFORMATION ABOUT THURSDAY THREATS ON FACEBOOK
Meta is admitting fault over misinformation spread on its platforms about the threats at Carolina Forest High School generated from AI programs.
While Horry County Schools and the Horry County Police Department both said the threats were hoaxes, officials said misinformation began to spread across Facebook through the platform’s new “Meta AI” feature.
In a statement Thursday, HCPD said the biggest threat to the school’s safety and security was misinformation. They also said they were aware of some AI programs shared on social media that “falsely claim that there was a real threat to safety.”
Meta, Facebook’s parent company, provided a statement to WMBF News on Friday saying they are reviewing the incident. The company also acknowledged its mistake.
“While this is a new technology and may not always return the response we intend, we got this wrong and apologize for any confusion or anxiety that was caused,” the statement read.
In addition to the bomb threats, a hoax active shooter call was directed at the school on Thursday.
Police said the Thursday morning calls were traced back to an internet server in India, which was also linked to other recent school threats in other parts of the country.
The department said that the threat received on Wednesday is believed to be a separate hoax and it remains under investigation.
Stay with WMBF News for updates.
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