A high school in Piqua, Ohio, canceled classes after two teenage girls made threats mimicking the ones from Pretty Little Liars, The Associated Press reports.
The Piqua police say that two girls, ages 14 and 15, have been arrested and charged in Juvenile Court for threats to the school that led to an early dismissal and the school being closed on Friday.
The 15-year-old girl reportedly created a Snapchat account with a username that included the letter “A”—just like the infamous PLL villain who regularly threatened Aria, Spencer, Hanna and Emily using the moniker. The Snapchat threatened to expose the secrets of the girl’s classmates. This prompted rumors about a school shooting, but as local newspaper The Daily Call reports, the Snapchat messages never mentioned a school shooting.
Police say a 14-year-old girl was inspired by the Snapchat posts, so she wrote a threatening message on a bathroom wall that read, “I’m still going to shoot up the school – A.”
The Daily Call reports that the two girls did not collaborate. The 15-year-old is being charged with disorderly conduct as a misdemeanor while the 14-year-old is being charged with inducing panic as a felony.
It’s always hard when people take things that entertain us and turn them into malicious weapons against other people. I’m just glad the girls were apprehended before anyone got seriously hurt.