An Orillia youth who told other students he had a gun and allegedly made a threat about shooting people has been charged by police.
On Thursday afternoon, Twin Lakes Secondary School was briefly placed in a 'hold and secure' as members of the Orillia OPP investigated a potential threat that was called in by the school's principal.
OPP officers quickly located the suspect off school property, explained OPP Const. Brett Boniface, who said the OPP's canine unit was called in to search for the gun.
"No weapon was located," he said, noting the school was put on a 'hold and secure' for less than 10 minutes. During a hold and secure, activities continue inside the building, but all exterior doors are locked and no one is allowed to enter or exit the building.
As a result of the investigation a youth was charged with four counts of uttering threats causing bodily harm. The youth cannot be named.
Boniface said any such threat to a school is taken seriously by police.
"Those are very high priority calls for us that require an immediate response," he explained, noting the "safety and security of students and staff" are the priority.
While calls like this are not necessarily on the rise, he said mental health-related calls have increased.
"We have seen a significant increase in our calls for services related to mental health due to the pandemic," Boniface explained, noting such calls have "so many layers" that are challenging for officers.
