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Teen charged for alleged online threat to Kentwood shopping center

Posted at 12:40 PM, Oct 02, 2019
and last updated 2019-10-02 16:01:13-04

KENTWOOD, Mich. — An Otsego County teenager is facing two felony charges for allegedly threatening a Kentwood shopping center online.

The 14-year-old allegedly posted the threat in an online gaming forum, which was seen by another user and sent to Kentwood police.

Police Chief Thomas Hillen said the teen threatened to “shoot up” the mall in an online game chat. They received screenshots of the chat through someone else who was in it.

Hillen said the suspect doesn’t have any connection to Kentwood.

Investigators determined the threat wasn’t credible and the teen didn’t have access to firearms but said threats aren’t taken lightly. Kentwood police are planning to seek financial restitution from the parents to cover the costs of their investigation.

The teen is facing felony charges of false report and threat of terrorism and using a computer to commit a felony. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.