Galveston teen accused of threatening to shoot KHS appears in court
Aria Wooden, an 18-year-old from rural Galveston accused of threatening a Howard County high school, appeared in Cass County Circuit Court on Thursday for an initial hearing.
Wooden was arrested Tuesday for felony charges of intimidation and threatening to commit terrorism and threatening to commit a forcible felony.
Teary-eyed, she was read her rights, was appointed a public defender and had her trial set for Nov. 17.
Wooden's charges stem from a photo she allegedly posted to her private Snapchat story with the caption 'ok so im shooting the school up, with you first b----.'
The Federal Bureau of Investigation received a tip about the post and was able to obtain the Galveston address it was posted from via Snapchat's geolocation information. FBI Special Agent Nathan Strange then reached out to the Cass County Sheriff's Office to let them know about the threat, according to court documents.
After being notified about the threat, members of the Sheriff's Office stopped by Wooden's home. According to court documents, they were greeted by Amanda and Anthony Smith, Wooden's parents, who explained their daughter had been expelled from school.
According to court documents, Wooden's younger brother told officers she had been arguing with her ex-boyfriend, a Kokomo High School student , earlier in the day.
Amanda confirmed the Snapchat photo was of Wooden and that the photo had been taken in their bathroom, according to court documents. She said Wooden had left the house about half an hour earlier, tough, and was headed toward Lafayette. Amanda tried calling and texting Wooden, but the teenager's phone wasn't active and could only be used with Wi-Fi.
Anthony told officers that Wooden didn't have any access to firearms. He explained he owned firearms, but verified they were still in the home.
Shortly after 9 p.m., Amanda told officers Wooden was headed back to Galveston. The officers met her there, according to court documents, and she explained the threats 'were not meant to harm anybody in any way' and that she had posted it out of anger 'from a situation that happened.'
According to court documents, Wooden also told the officers her ex-boyfriend hadn't seen the post and that she deleted it.
Afterward, according to the court documents, she was taken into custody and brought to Cass County Jail, where she consented for officers to search her iPhone.
The Kokomo Police Department and the Lafayette police Department assisted with the investigation.
The Sheriff's Office stated anyone with additional information is asked to contact them at 574-753-7800.
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