The Virgin Islands Police Department on Monday announced a round of arrests tied to the growing wave of bomb threats at St. Thomas public schools, taking six minors into protective custody and warning that more charges are likely as investigators track what has become a persistent pattern disrupting classrooms across the district.
The latest incidents were reported to the 911 Emergency Call Center on Nov. 17 and targeted Lockhart K-8 School and Charlotte Amalie High School, prompting immediate responses from police and school security. According to VIPD, detectives have identified “several persons of interest,” and interviews remain underway. The six minors detained so far face a range of charges, including false reporting, cyber harassment, bomb hoax, disturbance of the peace/threat, and conspiracy.
The arrests follow a week of heightened unease across the St. Thomas–St. John district, as repeated threats forced multiple campus lockdowns, evacuations, and widespread anxiety among students, parents, and teachers. The Source has reported extensively on escalating security concerns this fall, including increased police presence at several campuses and the Education Department’s coordination with federal partners to monitor social-media-based threats.
Monday’s arrests also come against the backdrop of a longer pattern stretching back several years. VIPD noted that similar cases in 2023 resulted in multiple juvenile arrests tied to threats against Seventh-day Adventist School and the former Addelita Cancryn Junior High School. In each instance, minors were charged with a combination of false reporting, cyber offenses, and hoax threats before being remanded to the Youth Rehabilitation Center.
Police Commissioner Mario Brooks on Monday called the current spike “unacceptable,” stressing that the repeated hoax calls have drained emergency resources, caused panic, and diverted officers from other critical responsibilities. “Let me be perfectly clear: this behavior is not a prank. It is a crime,” Brooks said, adding that additional arrests are expected and urging parents to closely monitor their children’s phone use. “Saying ‘I did not know’ is not an excuse,” he warned.
VIPD said it will continue working with the Education Department and federal law enforcement partners as investigations progress. In the meantime, officials urged families to speak with their children about the severity of false threats — and the real-world consequences they carry.
