Report details 'very disturbing' Snapchat feud

PRIEST RIVER — New details have emerged concerning a social media threat that put Priest River Lamanna High School in lockout last week.

As West Bonner County School District Superintendent Paul Anselmo and PRLHS Principal Joseph Kren shared Nov. 9, and as confirmed in a Nov. 14 police report by school resource officer Sgt. Chris Davis, an unnamed PRLHS student posted lyrics from Tee Grizzley’s rap song, “First Day Out” to Snapchat the evening of Nov. 8: “whoever feeling hot, that AR got a heat sensor.”

According to Davis, he learned of this from a concerned parent and then notified Kren, who requested extra security presence at PRLHS Nov. 9. Davis’ report said that due to manpower shortages, no additional personnel could be sent to the school, but that he contacted a county deputy to let him know he might be needed.

Davis contacted both the student’s mother and the student, and met him at the school entrance Nov. 9. The student, whose identity was withheld because he is a minor, told Davis “he did not mean anything by” the Snapchat quote. The student alleged that “this is all because I would not stand for the pledge.” Kren and Davis took the student into school and searched his backpack.

Early in the morning, the school had to assemble in the gym and just after the pledge Davis said two boys got into a yelling match which Kren, Davis, and vice principal Matt George dealt with. Though it is unclear which student he was referring to due to officials redacting all the students’ names, Davis’ report said “I did not think he was a threat to the school after I was done talking with him.” Half an hour later, Davis learned of a new Snapchat which said “Shoutout to [redacted] and [redacted] you guys made this physical and now I have to end it.” Another Snapchat said “Wtf [redacted] grabbed me from behind like a b**ch but it’s all good I got it handled;) F**k you all [redacted] is a b**ch, F**k u Tell [redacted] he’s done.” Davis said there was also a video to this effect. The officer contacted the student’s mother and learned that he had taken her phone and was using it. Davis asked Priest River police officer Ray Britton to check on a student “to make sure he was ok as I did not know what he had meant by the statement on the snap.” Davis’ report indicated that six other students were suspended for a Snapchat they had sent out, “pond scum say it to our face [redacted] better than a Jew a** pig b**ch come to school tomorrow [redacted], we have a surprise for you.” One student was suspended for touching another student, added Davis.

Davis put PRLHS in a lockout situation in which all the exterior doors of the school were locked and he stood guard at the building entrance to admit people. He also called Priest River Junior High School and Priest River Elementary School and asked them to lock all of their exterior doors. “This was just a precaution,” wrote Davis. He added that some parents picked up their kids from school or called in to have their kids excused from attending for the day because of the Snapchats which had circulated. Social media was very active with news, questions, and concerns about the incident as the day unfolded.

The police report adds context to what Kren had told the press Nov. 9 and again Nov. 13 — namely, that PRLHS never went into lockdown. Kren wrote Nov. 13, “The school was never placed in lockdown...the fact is that we did not ever see nor receive any concrete credible threat that would cause us to place the school into lockdown.” He added that “Even though all of the doors to the building are locked with the exception of the main entrance door, we made sure to check all doors to be sure the building was safe and secured. Because we were not in lock down, students were allowed to go to each class as well as go home for lunch. As they came back from lunch we checked backpacks. Mr. George and I also went from class to class assuring as many students as possible that our building was safe.”

Davis contacted the county prosecutor and was told that the Snapchats did not violate any law per Idaho code “and there was nothing I could arrest [redacted] for at this time.” According to Davis, “as most of the snap chats were very disturbing but did not break Idaho Code,” the incident is still under investigation.