‘He’s scared, I’m scared’: Fear rises among Horry County parents after school threats

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WMBF) - A series of threats targeting Carolina Forest High School has sparked fear and tension among parents.

Kaila Martinelli told WMBF News, that her son who is in ninth grade at the school, first texted her Wednesday, saying the school received a bomb threat. It would be the first of five in a matter of days.

“I told him I said, if it comes to it, I said please hide behind something. Knock your desk down. I said, just put the book bag over you, and that was it.”

Two students have been charged in connection to one of the calls that came into Horry County Police Department Thursday evening.

Horry County police spokesperson Mikayla Moskov confirmed to WMBF News that the students are being charged with communicating a school threat. The students were taken to the Department of Juvenile Justice in Columbia.

Martinelli described the scene as messy, saying parents rushed to the school Thursday searching for answers and their kids.

“Whatever it was yesterday, it was a mess. So again, you have parents lined up outside again, we’re all sitting here waiting to get inside,” she said. “We don’t know what’s going on. In my case, the email came in late. He knew before I knew, and he’s sitting in the classroom. he’s scared, I’m sacred and we can’t do anything again.”

In a statement to WMBF News, the police department urged parents to remind their kids of the seriousness of the situation.

“We urge parents to talk to their students about the seriousness of creating fear and spreading false information. And, we thank those who brought tips to us about behavior they believed to be suspicious or illegal.”

Police have deemed all five incidents hoaxes and will continue to investigate each call individually.

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