Law enforcement officials are even more committed to hunting down violent groups and individuals with the rise of school shooting incidents in the country. In Argentine Township, Michigan, the police might have won one of its battles by thwarting three teenagers' plot to attack a middle and high school a day before their plan would have taken innocent lives.
The alleged scheme was discovered by a school resource officer on Instagram and forwarded to the Argentine Township Police Department on Oct. 28, who immediately reached out to school officials to determine the seriousness of the threat. By Oct. 29, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) got involved, taking the necessary steps to make sure that the threatened institutions, Linden High School and Linden Middle School, were secure and that the suspects are arrested.
"Sadly, these things happen a lot across the country and you have to take them seriously... I took it seriously. The FBI took it seriously. Obviously, by the charges, the prosecutor took it seriously," Daniel Allen, Argentine Township's Police Chief said.
The FBI, Argentine Township Police Department and Michigan State Police worked with the Argentine Township School Resource Office to identify the threat. As a result of the investigation, it was discovered that three teenagers, 18-year old Ryan Stevens who is an alumnus of Linden High School and his 15 year old friends, Lamar Michael Dukes and Cody Anthony Brewer, had purchased firearms to be used in their plot. The investigation is still ongoing and the police revealed that a motive was emerging but law enforcement officials refused to divulge any more information on the case.
The three teenagers have been taken into custody and charged as adults, leading to a possible a life sentence if proven guilty. They were charged with conspiracy to commit first degree premeditated murder and felony for false report or threat of terrorism.
"The investigative process is in the hands of law enforcement; we will continue to correspond and cooperate with law enforcement as new information is discovered" Linden Community Schools Interim Superintendent Russ Ciesielski wrote in a statement.
