DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin and Wheaton Chief of Police William Murphy announced today that a 12-year-old male Edison Middle School student has been charged with making threatening statements directed at the school. The juvenile appeared at a detention hearing this morning where Judge Anthony Coco ordered that he be released to the custody of his mother. The juvenile has been charged with one count of Disorderly Conduct - Threat to a School. His next court appearance is scheduled for June 23, 2022.
It is alleged that on May 24, 2022, a sixth-grade student was speaking to a teacher and asked the teacher “has anyone blown up the school before?” It is alleged that the student then stated that he would be the first to do it. It is further alleged that the student asked the teacher if police officers were at the school and then began rocking his chair making a clicking noise on the ground and said “shots fired” every time the chair hit the ground. The teacher reported the incidents to authorities at the school who contacted the Wheaton Police Department.
“School safety remains a top priority of my administration, and we will continue to be proactive in identifying students who are in need of services in order to prevent acts of violence,” Berlin said. “Students must know, however, that threats such as alleged in this case are no joking matter. Every threat involving a juvenile must be fully investigated by law enforcement and where appropriate, will turned be over to authorities in the juvenile justice system. I thank authorities at Edison Middle School for their cooperation in this matter as well as the Wheaton Police Department, particularly Detective Stelmar, for their work on this case. I also thank Assistant State’s Attorneys Denis Cahill and Lynn Cavallo for their efforts.”
“This is an excellent example of the partnership we have with CUSD200 in maintaining a safe school environment,” Murphy said. “Early intervention and open communication are essential in cases like this to ensure the safety of our children, teachers and staff."
Members of the public are reminded that this complaint contains only charges and is not proof of the defendant’s guilt. A defendant is presumed innocent and is entitled to a fair trial in which it is the government’s burden to prove his or her guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.