Two Novi Middle School students arrested for threatening to shoot up school

A conversation overheard by classmates has resulted in two Novi Middle School students being charged with making with a terrorist threat after an investigation by police.

"Two kids were involved in the threat. They were making comments in class and were overheard by classmates," Novi Assistant Police Chief Scott Baetens said. "One of the students (classmates) reported this to their father and, being a concerned father, he he reported it to police."

The threats to shoot up the school were reported to the father about 5 p.m. Monday and Novi police, uniformed officers and detectives, had completed an investigation by about 9:30 p.m., Baetens said.

A consent search was conducted at the homes of the two juveniles, who were arrested Monday evening. Novi police aren't identifying the age, gender or hometowns of the pair, only that they are students at Novi Middle School, Baetens said.

Based on the findings of the investigation, the Oakland County Prosecutor's Office issued charges of a single count of making a terrorist threat, a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison, against each of the two students.

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A detention hearing was held at Tuesday at Oakland County Circuit Court.

Continued detainment was authorized by the juvenile referee and both suspects currently remain in custody. Their next scheduled appearance for a pre-trial hearing is Friday, March 8, at the probate division of Oakland County Circuit Court.

Investigators have confirmed the juveniles involved did not have access to any weapons in their homes. In an overabundance of caution, the Novi Police Department will continue extra patrols of all schools within the jurisdiction, the city said.

The Novi Police Department and the Novi Community School District remain steadfast in providing a safe learning environment for all students, according to a statement issued by police. Any and all threats made against schools, students and staff will be fully investigated by all means necessary, it read.

It was the latest in series of threats at area schools that came in the wake of the school shooting that left 17 people dead earlier this month.

Wayne-Westland schools were closed Tuesday as threats were being investigated. A Green Oak Township teen, Robert Debruyne, is due Wednesday in Oakland County Circuit Court, charged with making a false terrorist threat against South Lyon High School. The school had a systems failure that triggered a lockdown Monday.

Contact LeAnne Rogers at lrogers@hometownlife.com or 734-883-9039. Follow her on Twitter @LRogersObserver.