Volusia Sheriff Mike Chitwood, in a pivot from his highly-publicized naming and shaming of juvenile suspects in school threat crimes, decided this weekend not to name one suspect on the grounds that he has autism. The suspect, a 15-year-old who's accused of threatening Pine Ridge High School in Deltona, was still criminally charged for the alleged threat.
According to a statement made by Chitwood on Sunday, the teen was playing the popular social video game Fortnite when he told another person he was playing with that he'd be obtaining explosives in order to 'blow up' Pine Ridge High School. Through Fortify Florida, a state-funded organization that facilitates tips to law enforcement, the Volusia Sheriff's Office learned of the threat.
The teen's identity was not volunteered on social media by the VSO as most others' have, but they confirmed he is being charged with a felony for the threat. Chitwood's usual practice of posting a photo of the juvenile and a video of them in handcuffs being taken in for processing known as a 'perp walk' was not used for this case, due to the condition which the boy lives with.
"My promise to publicly show others who make these threats still stands," Chitwood said. The new policy has drawn both praise and criticism from community members with differing views on the ethics of putting juveniles' identities online after they're charged with a crime. One commenter on Facebook raised the issue of other behavioral conditions and how they may relate to cases such as this one.
"It is my hope any other kids that likely have true life changing 'diagnosable disabilities' such as ADHD, ADD, depression, anxiety, autism, or spectrum disorders, etc. will be appropriately screened and get the help and possible treatment they need," the commenter said to Chitwood. "If we’re going to be putting kids away and you’re open to considering mental health treatment maybe we could work on that. This initial action is great, but we need a life-changing follow up."
The commenter's sentiment was praised by Chitwood, who named the Volusia Family Resource Center as an alternate destination for neurodivergent juveniles. The Center's mission statement claims to want to address juvenile crime, truancy, 'ungovernable youth', and mental health among other issues.
