12-Year-Old Arrested for Hermiston Clown, Gun Scare at School

A threat was made yesterday by a 12-year-old student who attends Sandstone Middle School in Hermiston, resulting in his arrest, and detention in the Juvenile Detention Facility in Pendleton.

According to Hermiston Police Chief Jason Edmiston, Thursday around 9am, a school resource officer at Sandstone was made aware of a social media threat made against the school, involving the use of a gun.

The officer interviewed several students, and by 1:15 pm the student had been confronted and taken into custody.

Police said they had learned the following:

• A fake Instagram account was created under the name of 'James _4.0'
• A picture of a clown was used as the profile picture
• A message about shooting up the school was sent to more than one student, beginning around 11pm on October 5th, the night before. It was then shared numerous times on social media.

Edmiston praised the quick work of the officers and others who helped with the investigation, and were able to prevent any potential harm to come to students or anyone else at the school.

The 12-year-old has been charged with First Degree Disorderly Conduct. Officials say there was no actual physical threat made on site at the school.