Two active online threats in two days made to Marion schools and faculty

File photo [Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette] 2022.

A second social media threat against multiple Marion County schools and teachers was received Friday, just after a district-wide social media threat was made the day before.

The Marion County Sheriff’s Office and the Ocala Police Department is actively investigating to find the person responsible and determine whether the threats are credible.

The school district has requested for additional law enforcement presence on many campuses Friday for support, according to an MCPS Facebook post.

“Today’s threat was towards “every Marion County High School” with some specific teachers named that we are not releasing as they are victims in this active case,” said MCSO spokesperson Lt. Paul Bloom.

No suspects have been identified from either Thursday or Friday’s threats. At this time, law enforcement does not know whether the two threats are connected, but “investigators are certainly considering that possibility as they progress through the case,” Bloom said.

Bloom declined to answer which schools have increased law enforcement presence on Friday due to tactical reasons.

“The difficulty level is increased as far as identifying the suspect(s) as these were made online, anonymously,” Bloom said.

“These disruptions are not acceptable and we are putting forth every effort to help law enforcement catch the person responsible and hold them accountable in every way possible, including arrest and convictions,” according to MCPS.