Press Release
December 16, 2021
Macon County Sheriff’s Office
Sheriff Robert L. Holland
The Macon County Sheriff’s Office along with Macon County School Administrators are investigating statements about an incident that is to take place on Friday December 17 on one of our school campuses. We are fully aware of these statements being made and have interviewed multiple students who may have seen “chats” related to a threat to schools on social media. Following multiple interviews with students, none of those alleged “chats” or communications could be produced and or analyzed by investigators or school staff. It appears during these interviews investigators are finding what someone said “they saw” turns out to be something a student only heard about from another student. Sheriff Holland states, “We always take these rumors about threats seriously and while it would be very easy to pass this off as just another rumor we have utilized all of our resources to fully investigate the situation including maintaining communications with the FBI. That investigation will continue throughout the next few days. All information obtained will continue to be thoroughly investigated and appropriate action will be taken including filing of criminal charges if appropriate. Parents can expect to see an increased presence of law enforcement at and around all campuses throughout Macon county. We are coordinating efforts with both Chiefs of Highlands and Franklin Police Departments and maintaining communication with all of our partners. One of the things we have learned during the course of this investigation is that other jurisdictions within our state and outside of North Carolina may be dealing with the same types of rumors. It appears this date for many areas is the last day of school before the Christmas break. Sheriff Holland concludes, “The safety and well-being of our students and faculty remain our top priority and Superintendent Dr. Baldwin, the Chiefs of Police and myself will maintain good communication throughout this investigation and we will update the community if there is any significant changes or if any need should arise.”
Sheriff Robert L. Holland
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