A 16-year-old boy was arrested Wednesday in connection with the vandalism at a Montgomery County elementary school that included graffiti referencing the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary.
The graffiti referenced the man who carried out the Sandy Hook shooting that left 26 people dead, and appeared on the property of Bradley Hills Elementary School in Bethesda on Saturday.
Days before, a shed on the school property had been set on fire. Police said the teenage boy, a student at Walt Whitman High School, is charged in that incident as well.
He was taken into police custody Wednesday morning, according to a news release from police. A search of his home turned up what police said were “items of evidentiary value.”
The teen faces charges including two counts of second-degree arson, first-degree malicious burning, malicious destruction of property and threats of mass violence. He also faces a charge of altering physical evidence.
“These incidents have unsettled the community, causing fear and anxiety for families with kids who attend the school, staff members who work there, and neighbors,” County Executive Marc Elrich wrote in a statement. “We don’t know what motivated these terrible actions, but we all need to take them seriously.”
Police from Montgomery County’s Second District, which includes Bethesda, will continue patrols around the Bradley Hills, but police said there is “no ongoing threat to the school or the public” tied to the case.
Police said the case will be handled by the Department of Juvenile Services.
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