14-Year-Old Bedford Student Arrested for Threatening

A 14-year-old student at Westport’s Bedord Middle School was arrested today, charged with first-degree threatening and second-degree breach of peace before being remanded to the Bridgeport Juvenile Detention Center, police said.

The student, whose identity is not being released due to age, is scheduled to appear in Bridgeport Juvenile Court Thursday at 10 a.m.

According to Capt. Vincent Penna, the threats were discovered by a teacher who was reviewing an online survey posted by a student.

“The post written on the website detailed a threat to a student, his family and other unnamed students and stated it would be perpetrated at the school, on the last day of classes, June 21,” Penna said, adding that no specific method to carry out the threat was mentioned or discovered.

Detectives from the Police Department’s Youth Bureau investigated the matter, and with school officials “worked together to determine the identity of the perpetrator,” Penna said.

“As fast as we could get the information turned around, we made an arrest,” Penna said.

“We investigate everyting with the schools when it has to do with the kids’ safety. It is the highest priority.

“The Board of Education has always been cooperative with us, we’ve always had a strong relationship, and it has gotten much stronger,” he said.

Police and the schools agreed following the Newtown shootings to step up their sharing of information about students.

The schools, with support of the police, have initiated a $98,000 schools security study with Kroll Associates to improve school safety.