Bullets found in Patchogue-Medford High, police say; South Huntington student posts Snapchat threat
Patchogue-Medford High School in May. Bullets were discovered in the entrance vestibule Friday morning by school staff, police said. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
Suffolk County Police Fifth Precinct Crime Section officers are investigating the discovery of a packet of bullets found in the entrance vestibule of Patchogue-Medford High School on Friday.
Police said the bullets were discovered by a school staff member and reported to police at about 8:30 a.m. Friday.
In a statement Sunday, police said investigators had found no credible threat "at this time."
Surveillance footage from the high school, examined as part of the investigation, identified a person of interest, school district officials said in a statement Monday.
"The video footage and all other evidence have been shared with the [Suffolk County Police Department]," the statement said. "We have been in constant communication with the police department and have restricted the person of interest’s access to all district property while the matter is further investigated. We continue to fully cooperate with the SCPD. We have not been informed by SCPD of an imminent threat."
Police did not provide any additional details regarding the incident and the person of interest has not been identified.
In an unrelated incident, South Huntington School District Superintendent Vito M. D'Elia sent a message to district parents and guardians Sunday night notifying them of "a potential threat of violence" made on the social media platform Snapchat against Stimson Middle School.
In the notification to parents, D'Elia wrote: "Stimson Middle School Administration this evening was made aware of a social media post, on the platform Snapchat, conveying a potential threat of violence against Stimson Middle School," adding: "Due to the nature of this threat, and the seriousness in which our district takes such information, South Huntington School District administration began to investigate the alleged threat and corresponded with the Suffolk County Police Department."
Police said the incident was reported Sunday at about 3:15 p.m. and said the student who posted the threat had been identified — and that an investigation deemed the threat "not credible."
The district said the student will not be in attendance at the school Monday, but it was not immediately clear what grade the student was in or if that student has been suspended.
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John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”
