Acworth police arrest 17-year-old suspect in school shooting threat

An Acworth police car in a parking lotAcworth police car (Photo: Cobb County Courier/Larry Felton Johnson licensed CC BY 4.0)

Acworth Police have arrested a student at North Cobb Christian School after a social media threat against the school on Monday.

Police say they responded to the campus at 4500 Eagle Dr. shortly before 10:30 a.m. after getting word from the FBI that a Snapchat photo had been sent with a school shooting threat.  Acworth Sgt. Eric Mistretta says the threat was not specific but was a generalized statement about shooting up the school.

Arriving officers say they quickly zeroed in on  a suspect, a 17-year-old female. Authorities say she was arrested at about 10:50  a.m. after being identified as the person pictured in the Snapchat post.

After an interview at Acworth PD, the suspect was jailed at the Cobb County Sheriff’s office and faces a felony terroristic threat charge. She’s being held without bond. Cobb County Police and North Cobb Christian’s school resource officers aided in the investigation.

The campus was locked down as a precaution but returned to normal operations later in the day.

Acworth Police stress that comments and threats made on social media are taken seriously and investigated thoroughly.

Mistretta says the FBI routinely screens social media for various trigger words, and that the North Cobb threat triggered a response. He says the post was relayed to the Cobb County 9-1-1 center and that Acworth officers were then dispatched.

Anyone with additional information’s being asked to call Acworth Police at 770-974-1232

About the City of Acworth

Acworth started as a railroad depot for the Western & Atlantic Railroad. An engineer for the W&A, Joseph Gregg, named the depot for his hometown of Acworth, New Hampshire.

It is the fifth largest city by population after Mableton, Marietta, Smyrna, and Kennesaw.

Acworth was incorporated as a city in 1860.

The following quick facts about Acworth were taken from the U.S. Census Bureau website.

Population
Population estimates, July 1, 2024, (V2024)NA
Population estimates, July 1, 2023, (V2023)22,379
Population estimates base, April 1, 2020, (V2024)NA
Population estimates base, April 1, 2020, (V2023)22,464
Population, percent change – April 1, 2020 (estimates base) to July 1, 2024, (V2024)NA
Population, percent change – April 1, 2020 (estimates base) to July 1, 2023, (V2023)-0.4%
Population, Census, April 1, 202022,440
Population, Census, April 1, 201020,425
Age and Sex
Persons under 5 years, percent4.8%
Persons under 18 years, percent25.4%
Persons 65 years and over, percent12.3%
Female persons, percent53.9%
Race and Hispanic Origin
White alone, percent58.2%
Black alone, percent (a)(a)20.4%
American Indian and Alaska Native alone, percent (a)(a)0.0%
Asian alone, percent (a)(a)2.7%
Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander alone, percent (a)(a)0.0%
Two or More Races, percent9.4%
Hispanic or Latino, percent (b)(b)16.9%
White alone, not Hispanic or Latino, percent53.9%
Population Characteristics
Veterans, 2019-20231,194
Foreign-born persons, percent, 2019-202317.7%
Housing
Housing Units, July 1, 2023, (V2023)X
Owner-occupied housing unit rate, 2019-202361.2%
Median value of owner-occupied housing units, 2019-2023$309,800
Median selected monthly owner costs – with a mortgage, 2019-2023$1,680
Median selected monthly owner costs -without a mortage, 2019-2023$584
Median gross rent, 2019-2023$1,569
Building Permits, 2023X
Families & Living Arrangements
Households, 2019-20238,327
Persons per household, 2019-20232.68
Living in the same house 1 year ago, percent of persons age 1 year+ , 2019-202387.8%
Language other than English spoken at home, percent of persons age 5 years+, 2019-202327.7%
Computer and Internet Use
Households with a computer, percent, 2019-202396.0%
Households with a broadband Internet subscription, percent, 2019-202389.2%
Education
High school graduate or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+, 2019-202390.6%
Bachelor’s degree or higher, percent of persons age 25 years+, 2019-202332.9%
Health
With a disability, under age 65 years, percent, 2019-20238.0%
Persons without health insurance, under age 65 years, percent19.2%
Economy
In civilian labor force, total, percent of population age 16 years+, 2019-202372.8%
In civilian labor force, female, percent of population age 16 years+, 2019-202366.3%
Total accommodation and food services sales, 2022 ($1,000)(c)142,623
Total health care and social assistance receipts/revenue, 2022 ($1,000)(c)148,990
Total transportation and warehousing receipts/revenue, 2022 ($1,000)(c)53,970
Total retail sales, 2022 ($1,000)(c)714,112
Total retail sales per capita, 2022(c)$32,022
Transportation
Mean travel time to work (minutes), workers age 16 years+, 2019-202330.7
Income & Poverty
Median households income (in 2023 dollars), 2019-2023$80,703
Per capita income in past 12 months (in 2023 dollars), 2019-2023$38,353
Persons in poverty, percent8.3%
Businesses
Total employer establishments, 2022X
Total employment, 2022X
Total annual payroll, 2022 ($1,000)X
Total employment, percent change, 2021-2022X
Total nonemployer establishments, 2022X
All employer firms, Reference year 2022526
Men-owned employer firms, Reference year 2022304
Women-owned employer firms, Reference year 2022S
Minority-owned employer firms, Reference year 202269
Nonminority-owned employer firms, Reference year 2022318
Veteran-owned employer firms, Reference year 202218
Nonveteran-owned employer firms, Reference year 2022367
Geography
Population per square mile, 20202,488.4
Population per square mile, 20102,477.6
Land area in square miles, 20209.02
Land area in square miles, 20108.24

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