VOLUSIA COUNTY FLORIDA, Two young students in Volusia County have been arrested after authorities say they made threats against teachers and classmates at their schools.
According to the Volusia Sheriff’s Office, Anthony Steward, 11, and Micah Swinnie, 10, were arrested on separate days after investigators said they made violent threats at their respective schools.
Authorities said Steward, a student at DeLand Middle School, allegedly accessed a classmate’s Gradebook Communications account and sent the message “imma shoot you” to seven teachers.
Video released by the sheriff’s office shows Steward being escorted from a patrol car and taken into the sheriff’s office while in handcuffs. While officers secured the handcuffs, the boy reportedly complained that they felt tight.
Investigators also said Steward had previously been arrested in October after allegedly making similar threats using another student’s Gradebook Communications account. Those earlier threats reportedly targeted members of the community at Southwestern Middle School.
A day before Steward’s arrest, deputies took Micah Swinnie, 10, a student at Pride Elementary School, into custody.
According to investigators, Swinnie allegedly left a written list on a classroom desk naming people he intended to harm. Authorities also said he wrote a message on a classroom whiteboard indicating he planned to bring a gun to school.
Body camera footage shows Swinnie being escorted from a patrol vehicle with his hands cuffed behind his back.
Officials said the student later told deputies he did not mean the threat, and a parent reportedly informed investigators that he does not have access to a firearm.
Swinnie was taken into custody on a felony charge of making a written threat to kill, although authorities said it remains unclear whether formal charges will ultimately be filed.
The Volusia Sheriff’s Office urged parents to discuss the seriousness of making violent threats with their children.
Volusia County Sheriff Mike Chitwood said the incidents were concerning after deputies responded to two similar cases involving young students in the same week.
“These threats disrupt our schools, consume valuable resources, and increase the risk that a real threat could go unnoticed,” Chitwood said.
Officials emphasized that the cases remain under review as authorities continue their investigation.
