Eagle police arrest juvenile in connection to school threats
Sheriff says suspect arrested by Eagle police isn't believed to be connected to other threats, which are still actively being investigated
The Eagle Police Department on Friday arrested a juvenile in connection with an investigation into threats against a school in Eagle. According to the Eagle Police Department, the investigation began after screenshots of social media messages containing the names of students at a local school were distributed within the community and reported to authorities.
Eagle police officers successfully identified the juvenile after an investigation. The case has been forwarded to the 5th Judicial District Attorney’s Office for prosecution. The charges the juvenile faces are not currently known and the juvenile’s name has been withheld. District Attorney Heidi McCollum did not respond to a phone call and text message sent by the Vail Daily on Friday.
In an email to the Vail Daily, the Eagle Police Department said no further information can be made public at this time.
The Eagle County Sheriff’s Office released a statement on Friday afternoon, noting that although an arrest was made in Eagle, “at this time we do not believe that the suspect arrested by Eagle Police Department is connected to the other threats in the area.”
The Sheriff’s Office’s investigation remains an “active and high-priority case” as the search continues to “locate the individual(s) responsible for the threats to the other schools and other concerning online posts,” the release said. The Eagle County Sheriff’s Office, Eagle Police Department and federal partners are working together on the ongoing investigation.
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Public schools in Eagle County have been subject to three separate threats this week, all disseminated through social media. On Sunday, three Eagle County schools were included on a list of schools that were indicated to be targets of violence. Law enforcement quickly deemed the threat a hoax. On Monday, lists containing students’ and teachers’ names that appeared to be under threat of violence were released. On Tuesday, a social media post indicated that school buses would be targets of violence, but was also cleared by law enforcement as a hoax. It is unclear which threat or threats led to Friday’s arrest.
The Eagle Police Department, in its release, said it does not believe any current threats to schools in the town represent valid dangers.
At Wednesday’s school board meeting, Eagle County Sheriff James van Beek said that law enforcement is pursuing every known lead. “We do feel, at this time still, that it’s very sophisticated, and that they’re hiding,” he said.
Van Beek encouraged community members with information about the threats to immediately contact law enforcement.
The school district shared the news of the Eagle police’s arrest in a message posted to its social media pages and website, , on Friday afternoon. In its message, the district thanked “local, state and federal law enforcement agencies” and “even more so … all of our teachers and school staff that have shown up every morning to comfort, care for, and educate our community’s youth.”
During Wednesday’s school board meeting, Superintendent Phil Qualman announced that the district would be reserving emails, texts and phone calls for urgent communication after several students and parents asked for increased transparency on the investigation from the school district.
The district declined to comment Friday when contacted by the Vail Daily.
“Have a good weekend, and we’ll see you Monday morning,” the district’s message, posted on its social media and website, said.
Anyone with information about these incidents or any of the individuals involved should contact the Eagle Police Department at 970-479-2200 to be connected to an on-duty officer. Anonymously submit a tip online to the Eagle County Crime Stoppers at or send a tip using the free ‘P3 Tips’ mobile app. Tips that lead to the arrest and indictment of any suspect involved, could result in a cash reward from the Eagle County Crime Stoppers.
The Eagle Police Department encourages the community to reach out for mental health support if needed, available through Vail Health Behavioral Health at or 844-493-8255 for a local 24/7 crisis response.
