Social media threat to shoot up WCHS leads to arrest of 18-year-old student

18-year-old Nicholas Fletcher Moon is being held without bond at RSW Jail for fabricating a threat to ‘shoot up’ his high school – Courtesy Mug Shot RSW Regional Jail

A Tuesday morning, November 20 press release from the Warren County Sheriff’s Office alerted the public to the arrest of an 18-year-old Warren County High School student for “fabricating the rumor” of a threat “to shoot up” the school on the social media app “Snap Chat”.

According to the release a complaint was received Monday evening at 10:10 p.m. alerting the sheriff’s office of the social media threat “to shoot up Warren County High School.”

However, the release continues: “Early in the investigation of the incident, it was determined that Nick Moon, 18, of 310 Locust Dale Rd fabricated the rumor on social media.

Moon, a senior at the high school, was charged under state code §18.2-60, which states that transmitting a threat of bodily harm on school property, at a school event, or to those on a school bus is a felony.

The precise wording of the code is: “Any person who communicates a threat, in a writing, including an electronically transmitted communication producing a visual or electronic message, to kill or do bodily harm, (i) on the grounds or premises of any elementary, middle or secondary school property, (ii) at any elementary, middle or secondary school-sponsored event or (iii) on a school bus to any person or persons, regardless of whether the person who is the object of the threat actually receives the threat, and the threat would place the person who is the object of the threat in reasonable apprehension of death or bodily harm, is guilty of a Class 6 felony.”

The release states that “Moon was arrested without incident and was taken to the RSW Regional Jail and held without bond.”

Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact Lt. Jennifer Kirkland at the Warren County Sheriff’s Office at (540) 635-4128.