A New Mexico mom's controversial Facebook post has landed her in some serious trouble — and the offending status is much worse than an embarrassing selfie. The Roswell resident wrote online about a possible school shooting attempt, instead of sharing the information with the police.

"Anyone else's kids go to Sierra?" Jeanette Garza Alvarez asked on Facebook several weeks ago. "My son says some 8th graders are planning on bringing guns to school maybe Monday and have a shootout to see who's the first to die."

Although she later claimed that she wanted to gather information about the rumor, Alvarez instead ignited a community-wide panic. The status caused 160 students to skip class that Monday, not to mention more than 100 calls to the school administration. The massive response led the municipal court to charge and convict Alvarez of creating a public nuisance, with a 30-day deferred sentence and a $29 fine.

It should go without saying, but parents who hear about disturbing threats like this one should contact the police, not post online. "Her concern for her son's safety and for other students' safety was certainly understandable," Roswell Police spokesman Todd Wildermuth told local news station KRQE. "But what should have been done was to call the school, call the police department, let them know what she had heard."

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[h/t KRQE News 13

Caroline Picard Health Editor Caroline is the Health Editor at GoodHousekeeping.com covering nutrition, fitness, wellness, and other lifestyle news.

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