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The 9-year-old boy is the second elementary schooler in less than two weeks arrested for a similar incident in Putnam County.
PUTNAM COUNTY, Fla. — For the second time in less than two weeks, the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office announced the arrest of an elementary schooler for allegedly threatening another student on campus with a knife.
A 9-year-old Middleton-Burney Elementary student was arrested Thursday, according to the sheriff’s office, for allegedly pulling out a pocket knife at recess and threatening to stab another student during a fight. Due to the child’s age, First Coast News will not be naming him or showing his booking photo.
The incident reportedly happened Wednesday afternoon, and the knife had been stored in the student’s backpack. PCSO said a girl said the student showed her the knife and pointed it at her stomach.
PCSO said multiple children reported having seen the knife throughout the day — though none told a teacher until after the incident at recess.
“Please encourage your students to talk to their teachers or use the Fortify App when they see something,” wrote PCSO in a social media post. “If the knives had been found and removed by an adult prior to the threats, the school could have handled discipline and this would not have escalated to a felony arrest.”
The child was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon without the intent to kill. He has since been released to a parent until he is due in court.
A 10-year-old at Browning Pearce Elementary was arrested on the same charge on Oct. 2 after the sheriff’s office said he also threatened a classmate and flashed a pocket knife at them.
“Parents, we cannot stress enough the importance of checking backpacks,” wrote PCSO Friday.