By Associated Press
Dothan, AL – Security was increased at Northview High School and some parents checked their children out of classes Monday following the weekend arrests of four students accused of making terrorist threats on a social networking Web site.
Houston County Sheriff Andy Hughes said officials began investigating the threats Friday after school officials were contacted by a parent whose child read the postings on a MySpace blog. Hughes described some of the language as extreme and very violent.
The students, who are all under the age of 18, will remain in juvenile detention unless a judge rules otherwise in their detention hearings scheduled for today.
Hughes said the threats involved both shooting and bombing the school, but no dates were specified. He said the homes of all four boys were searched and while firearms were found in some of the homes, they were all stored properly in gun safes.
Dothan Schools Superintendent Sam Nichols said it was possible that the students had been just - quote - ``mouthing off,'' but he said any threat had to be taken seriously in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings and other tragic events.
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)