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The Knoxville Community School District released a statement about an incident last night. The statement reads,

“Last night, the Knoxville Community School District was contacted by local law enforcement about a potential threat to school safety that was posted online. Police investigated the threat and found it to not be credible. They also identified those responsible for making the threat, and two juveniles were taken into custody. We appreciate our local law enforcement partners for their quick response to this matter. Classes will continue as scheduled. We want to take this opportunity to remind everyone of the importance of being responsible with what they post online. We take all threats very seriously, even if they are meant as a joke and law enforcement will be involved.”

The following is a statement from Knoxville Police Chief Aaron Fuller:

“Shortly after 6 p.m. on Thursday, January 12, 2023, the FBI made Knoxville Police Officers aware of online threats of violence made to Knoxville Community Schools, Marion County Courthouse, unnamed institutions within Knoxville, as well as named and unnamed persons within our community.

Through a thorough investigation officers developed two juvenile suspects. Officers spoke with the two suspects. Based on those interviews and the totality of information gathered from the investigation, the threats were assessed to be noncredible. Both juvenile suspects were taken into custody.

Additional steps are being taken to ensure the safety of students and staff of the Knoxville Community Schools, customers and employees of the courthouse, all other entities, and persons.

The Knoxville Police Department would like to thank the FBI, Knoxville Community School District, Marion County Sheriff’s Office, and the Marion County Attorney’s Office for their assistance with this investigation.”

Marion County Sheriff Jason Sandholdt tells KNIA/KRLS News a threat was also made to the courthouse, which was also found to not be credible.

KNIA/KRLS News interviewed Fuller, Sandholdt and Pearson about the incident.