Sheriff: Spoofed calls behind recent Houston County school threats

Sheriff Matt Moulton says investigators believe many of the threats are coming from concealed or spoofed phone numbers.

WARNER ROBINS, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Deputies investigated a threat Monday morning at Warner Robins High School, leading officials to temporarily move more than 100 students outside the school gym before an all-clear was given.

41NBC spoke with Houston County Sheriff Matt Moulton Monday about these ongoing threats.

“We have seen an increase this year, specifically at Perry High School,” he said. “We have had two threats that came in by telephone. We had a threat at Northside High School this year and, Warner Robins High School this year,” said Moulton.

Houston County Sheriff Matt Moulton says the threats are still under investigation.

“To date there have been no substantiated threats that have come in,” he said. “They’ve all appeared to be hoax phone calls that have come in though concealed telephone numbers, numbers that are either spoofed or hidden through VPN connections.”

Sheriff Moulton says no students have been harmed.

“We take very threat serious of course, and we haven’t had any issues that we know of, that it’s been an actual student of the school making the threat,” he said. “In cases where we have had students in the fit of rage make a comment like, ‘I’m going to blow the school up,’ I see that more in the younger kids. I mean as young as 10, 11, 12 years old making statements. I don’t think they truly understand what they’re saying, because 20 years ago that comment shocked the conscience.”

Sheriff Moulton says parents should know where their children are at all times.

“Pay attention to them when they are at home,” he said. “Are they fixated on violence? The video games that they’re playing, a lot of those video games is kill as many people as you can and get points. And if you get killed, you just hit reset and the game starts back over. But that’s not real life; in real life, there’s consequences and victims.”

Sheriff Moulton says Houston County law enforcement will continue to do what is necessary to protect students and staff.