Judge adjourns case in Facebook school threat

A 16-year-old male youth alleged to have made threats on Facebook last month about a shooting at Charlottetown Rural High School appeared briefly in provincial youth court today.
The youth, whose identity is protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, stood quietly in front of the judge while his defence counsel, Brenda Picard, requested a brief adjournment before entertaining a plea in the case.
Picard said she has had discussions with the Crown and is confident she will be able to speak to the matter's resolution when the case next returns to court.
Provincial Youth Court Judge Nancy Orr adjourned the case until Dec. 7.
The youth, who was accompanied to court by his parents, is charged with uttering threats to cause bodily harm.
The investigation which led to those charges was launched after police were notified of alleged threats made on Facebook by an individual indicating there would be a shooting at Charlottetown Rural the following day.
Police took the matter seriously, dispatching a number of officers to the school.
They remained stationed at the main entrance to the school and were on hand until classes were dismissed at the end of the day. Access was allowed only through the main entrance.
Police also called on two external agencies to assist them in determining the source of the threatening Facebook post, including another police agency and a technology firm.