A teenager used his classmate’s name this week to make an online threat of a shooting at an Aurora high school, according to police in the western suburb.
The 15-year-old boy was charged with disorderly conduct after he posted a threat on social media which was deemed “not credible” by several detectives specializing in internet crimes, Aurora police said.
According to the Aurora Police Department, the charge was upgraded to a felony as authorized by the Kane County State Attorney's Office.
The classmate was unaware his name was used, and he and his family were cooperative with authorities, police said.
“These incidents are crimes not jokes,” according to a statement posted to the department’s Facebook page. “We encourage parents to reinforce this fact to their children. We will prosecute anyone involved in these crimes to the fullest extent of the law.”
Anyone with information about the threatening post was asked to call Aurora detectives at (630) 256-5500. Anonymous tipsters can also call Aurora Crime Stoppers at (630) 892-1000 and qualify for a cash reward of up to $5,000 for information that leads to an arrest.