Pinellas Sheriff's Office accuses 14-year-old of copycat Snapchat school threat

PINELLAS PARK — The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office late Saturday said detectives arrested a 14-year-old boy and accused him of posting a threat to a school on his Snapchat account.

Edward Charles Osgood, who attends Lealman Innovation Academy, was arrested at his home, 5330 Third Ave. S in St. Petersburg.

He was charged with making written threats to kill or do bodily injury. Detectives said the threats are copycat threats to the recent Broward County school shooting, which killed 17 people.

Osgood's Snapchat post indicated a shooting would occur at the Lealman Innovation Academy, which is a Pinellas County school. In the post, he holds what appears to be an AR-15-style assault rifle, the Sheriff's Office said. Detectives spoke with the boy's parents and questioned him. He told them it was a friend's BB gun replica, and that he thought the post would be funny, the Sheriff's Office said. Detectives have recovered the item.

Osgood was transported to Pinellas County Juvenile Assessment Center.

Also Saturday, police said they will have a heightened presence at two Pinellas Park schools after a school shooting threat was shared on social media.

A post Friday on social media app Snapchat threatened a possible school shooting Tuesday, according to the Pinellas Park Police Department. Though the Snapchat post did not specify a particular school, investigators believe it may have included a message written on a bathroom wall of Pinellas Park High School.

Detectives said they did not know if the threat was credible, but said the police will add extra officers at Pinellas Park High School and nearby Morgan Fitzgerald Middle School this week.