EAST MOLINE, Illinois -- A 15-year-old girl with an online friend from Germany was the culprit behind two bogus threats that forced lock downs and police responses to United Township High School on Thursday, Aug. 23 and Friday, Aug. 17.
After responding to Thursday's threat - which put the school on lock down for a little more than an hour - East Moline police traced both calls back to a phone number in the town of Hagen, Germany. The Hagen Police Department, working on the investigation in conjunction with the EMPD, determined the number belonged to a 17-year-old male who confessed to making both threatening phone calls at the request of the 15-year-old female UTHS student.
Police say the pair knew each other through an online messaging app for gamers.
The German teen faces criminal charges there, police say. The 15-year-old who asked the German teen to make the threats was arrested and is in custody pending an appearance in juvenile court.
Police reiterated there was never any legitimate threat or danger posed to UTHS students.
