Firearms, knives, ammunition, and swords: These are just some of the weapons Florida law enforcement say they confiscated from an 11-year-old middle school student who threatened a school shooting in an online video and brandished a “kill list,” which, according to Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood, included the school nurse.
Carlo Dorelli‘s arrest came after Volusia County authorities received and investigated more than 50 reports of school threats from several individuals in the area, which turned out to be fake, Chitwood said. Dorelli’s assault rifles were replicas, and the pre-teen told the police his online threats were a joke, but police handcuffed Dorelli anyway, and took him into custody.
Sheriff Chitwood said Dorelli was used as an example to other students planning a school shooting, or reporting or disseminating a false threat. “I can and will release the names and photos of juveniles who are committing these felonies, threatening our students, disrupting our schools, and consuming law enforcement resources,” Chitwood said.
Carlo Dorelli will spend 21 days behind bars
Carlo Dorelli will spend at least 21 days behind bars before his first court hearing, according to California news outlet KMPH. Sheriff Chitwood said Dorelli was cooperative and respectful, and told the authorities about all the weapons he had in his possession. He told the police he didn’t intend to follow through on his threat, which reportedly targeted a school bus driver, but authorities took the matter seriously.
Local parents supported Volusia County law enforcement’s decision to arrest Dorelli, insofar as social media comments are any indication. If Chitwood had his way, anyone who made a false threat or joked about a school shooting would meet with families of victims from other school shootings, like at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, FL.
“Let them go and meet these families and see what’s so damn funny or what do you think you’re accomplishing shutting down the school and putting panic in the community,” Chitwood said.
Who are Carlo Dorelli’s parents?
So far, it’s unreported who Carlo Dorelli’s parents are, or if they were aware of or helped assemble the pre-teen’s arsenal. According to several social media comments, Dorelli’s parents should be held at least partially responsible. Dorelli’s arrest came just weeks after Colin Gray was arrested for allowing his 15-year-old son, Colt Gray, to have a weapon that Colt used to kill two adults and two students while injuring others at Colt’s high school in Georgia.
In April, Ethan Crumbley’s parents, Jennifer and James Crumbley, were convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to 10 years in prison for allowing Crumbley to have a handgun, which the teenager used to kill four students at his Michigan high school three years earlier. Meanwhile, nine students have been arrested in Broward County, FL, since August for school threats, and several California have also been arrested under similar circumstances, The New York Times reported.
According to CNN, Dorelli faces a felony for intimidation through a written threat, and will be charged as a minor. At a press conference, Chitwood added, ” … [Y]our little cherub? We’re going to start publishing his face and doing perp walks with him when we take him into custody, and then we’re going to show pictures of you, the parents. Because [if] you don’t want to raise your kid, Sheriff Chitwood is going to raise them.”
Marsha Levick, the chief legal officer and co-founder of the Juvenile Law Center, told The Times she agreed that Chitwood was making the best decision in a tough situation, but questioned Chitwood’s choice to shame minors publicly. “Just do traditional things — arresting, charging — that don’t add this layer of shaming, embarrassing, humiliating and traumatizing,” Levick said.
Published: Sep 18, 2024 01:00 pm