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Teen implicated in threat against schools to appear in court

A 16-year-old boy is expected to appear in Prince George provincial court Fridayafter he was arrested in connection with a threat made through social media that prompted Prince George schools to impose partial lockdowns.
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Posting from Prince George Clowns

A 16-year-old boy is expected to appear in Prince George provincial court Fridayafter he was arrested in connection with a threat made through social media that prompted Prince George schools to impose partial lockdowns.

A 17-year-old boy was also arrested Thursday but later released without charge, Prince George RCMP said.

Charges against the 16-year-old will be determined by Crown counsel. Because he is a youth, his name was not released.

A precautionary "code yellow" was in place at Prince George public schools for most of the day Thursday. School District 57 superintendent Marilyn Marquis-Forster said it meant students remained in class "going about their business as they normally would" but without movement in and out of the buildings. Parents were still able to pick up their children.

The move was made in consultation with Prince George RCMP, she said. Local Catholic schools and Ecole Franco-Nord also took similar steps in response.

Police gave the go-ahead to lift the lockdown at about 2:20 p.m.

Prince George RCMP have not elaborated on the threat's specifics but a now-deleted "princegeorgeclowns" posting on Instagram shows a cartoon depiction of three people wearing "creepy clown masks" and holding firearms with the caption "every school in PG about to get hit." RCMP described the threat as "non-credible" but concerning.

"The RCMP has taken this page and the many comments on it, very seriously and have been engaged throughout the night," the detachment said in a press release. "At this point in time, we do not believe this is a credible threat to any schools in the Prince George area.

"Although we have no evidence that supports violent action will take place, we are concerned and will act with an abundance of caution."

Similar scares have surfaced elsewhere in Canada and the United States, some leading to arrests.

Locally, the threat has sparked a flurry of clown sightings around some Prince George high schools and elsewhere in the city, according to postings on social media. However, the Prince George RCMP detachment has not received any reports of trouble, Cpl. Craig Douglass said.