ROWAN COUNTY, N.C. — Two teenagers from Rowan County are accused of making threats online and bringing a sawed-off shotgun inside Statesville High School, which they did not attend, police said.
Investigators said the incident happened last month but the teens were charged Thursday.
A student let them in through a door in the rear of the building, thinking they attended the school, police said.
The teens had the shotgun in a backpack and never took it out, but did confront a student after being inside the school for about 20 minutes. There were no further incidents.
Investigators reviewed surveillance footage, and identified the teens and arrested them.
The firearm was seized and the teens were each charged with possession of a weapon of mass destruction -- sawed off-shotgun, possession of a weapon with altered serial number, possession with a weapon on a school campus and trespassing.
"The Statesville Police Department and partnering agencies takes the safety of our students and schools seriously," authorities said in a news release. "Anyone that receives information regarding any threats to school students and staff are strongly encouraged to share this information with law enforcement immediately."
“We are more than grateful to all the law enforcement agencies whose focus like ours is our children and their safety,” a spokeswoman for Iredell-Statesville Schools said.
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