Redmond PD: Social media post threatening C.O. schools deemed not credible, threat came from Portland

(Update: Adding video, comments from Oregon FBI, Redmond Police, Bend-La Pine Schools)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) – A social media post regarding a threat of violence Tuesday at schools in several Central Oregon communities that brought a flood of worried calls to dispatchers and others appears not credible, was sent from a Portland IP address and uses a stock image of a gun, Redmond police said.

The initial posting apparently was on Snapchat but spread quickly on Facebook and other social media, prompting a flood of worried calls to schools, police and dispatchers. . A Deschutes County dispatcher said they had received "a ton of calls" Tuesday morning.

So far, police have found nothing credible about the threat and warning, but several agencies increased officer presence around schools as districts kept parents and families posted on the latest information. And Redmond reported a significant decline in Tuesday post-holiday break attendance.

Redmond Police Lt. Eric Beckwith said the gun photo in the widespread social post is “actually a stock image from a website. So it’s not a current image -- in fact, it’s quite old. The IP address is linked to Portland. We’ve been able to determine it’s not a credible threat.”

Beckwith told NewsChannel 21, "Many of the people who work for the Redmond Police Department have children who go to school within the Redmond School District. So they have a personal investment in these kinds of threats. And we have a lot of confidence in the personnel we have assigned to schools, and the ability of our patrol division to support school resource officers if a threat were to be valid."

“Unfortunately, we deal with this more than people think,” the lieutenant said, both in terms of threats of violence on social media and fast-spreading warnings about such threats, credible or not.

“A lot of times, we have to try to work really hard on how the information was disseminated,” Beckwith said. “We want people to talk – we don’t want people not to talk about it,” despite the inevitable outcome of more widespread concern and fears of violence, and students kept home.

Bend Police Communications Manager Sheila Miller told NewsChannel 21 Tuesday morning they were "aware of this social media post. Our officers will have an increased presence around schools today.”

Deschutes County sheriff's Sergeant Jason Wall told us, "The Deschutes County Sheriff's Office has been aware of the online threat you are referring to and have increased our presence at all area schools."

Warm Springs Police posted to Facebook a note saying its investigations team, in conjunction with the FBI, was investigating the school shooting threat circulating on social media.

"At this time, the validity of this threat to any specific school has not been found," the agency stated, urging anyone with information to contact law enforcement.

The special agent in charge of the FBI in Oregon, Kieran Ramsey, spoke of the increase in such mostly hoax threats: "We've been able to hold people accountable, be they juveniles, be they adults halfway across the country, or be they some person or persons who is located outside the U.S., we've got the investigations to prove we've done it before, and we'll certainly do it again."

Around 9 a.m., Bend-La Pine Schools sent a brief statement to families, saying they were "aware of a social media post circulating this morning that indicated a threat of violence against several other school districts in Central Oregon."

Scott Maben, Bend-La Pine Schools Communications Manager, told us Tuesday, "The Bend Police Department, we work very closely with them. They let us know, from their perspective, that it was perfectly safe to have school today and operate as normal. And we let our families know that as well."

The Redmond School District, meanwhile, posted this note to their Facebook page Tuesday morning:

“Concerning Social Media Post

“Good morning,

“We have been in contact with Redmond Police Department about a concerning social media post that appears to threaten many schools in the area. Our law enforcement partners have recommended to continue school as usual and will be providing an extra presence in our buildings today as a precaution. As always, parents and guardians are encouraged to make the decision they believe is best for their children," the Redmond schools' note stated.

Redmond schools later sent this follow-up message to parents;

"We have received an update from law enforcement partners stating that the social media post was traced and found to have originated in Portland, OR. The message that was distributed online among the Central Oregon region included a photo of a rifle and a vague message about not going to school. This post was not targeted at any specific schools and specific threats were not included in the original post. The photo from the post was also determined to be over a week old. Redmond police will continue to provide an extra presence at our schools today. We are grateful for the diligent efforts of law enforcement to investigate all threats in a measure to provide our students and staff with a safe learning environment."

At mid-morning, RSD spokeswoman Holly Brown said, "This threat is still actively being investigated by law enforcement officials."

Brown later said those concerns are likely responsible for about one-third of students being absent from the district's high schools on Tuesday.

Bend-La Pine Schools spokesman Scott Maben said initial checks with schools showed the most impact at the high school level, with two "down a couple hundred students." But Maben noted higher absence rates also are not unusual just before or after breaks, due to family travel and the like.

Warm Springs K-8 Academy Principal Lonnie Henderson sent a message to families Tuesday to report that a threat against the school "that was investigated and subsequently deemed unfounded."

While normal operations were to resume on Tuesday, the families also were assured that "Warm Springs police will be present to ensure the safety of students and staff."

"It's positive to see that authorities take such threats seriously and take necessary steps to investigate and address them," Henderson wrote, urging anyone with questions or concerns to "reach out to local law enforcement for more information and guidance."

Jefferson County Sheriff Jason Pollock said, "Any time something like this happens, we do our best to make sure we have more law enforcement presence at the schools. This includes Jefferson County sheriff’s deputies, Madras police officers and the Oregon State Police."

Crook County School Superintendent Dr. Duane Yecha also informed parents that police said "there is no threat to our schools, and school will continue as scheduled today,"

"You are still welcome to keep your child home from school if you remain concerned," he added.

The widely disseminated Snapchat screenshot advised "don't go to school tomorrow" and listed several Central Oregon cities and the region as a whole, claiming "someone has posted pictures and sent multiple pictures saying they are going to shoot up the schools."

"Please be safe and be cautious with your surroundings," stated the widely disseminated screen shots, including a photo of a gun. "I pray that everyone will be alright."

Many similar hoax threats mentioning specific schools and other entities have prompted similar investigations in recent months.

In late November, a telephoned bomb threat involving Madras High School prompted a lockdown, followed by the evacuation of all students, until it was deemed safe to return.

Emailed bomb threats were sent last month to numerous schools, airports and synagogues around Oregon, prompting an FBI investigation.