UPDATE: Edison student, 14, charged after gun photo publishes

MILAN TWP. — Police arrested an Edison High School student at his home Wednesday after he allegedly sent a photo of himself carrying weapons to students with a threatening message.The student, a 14-year-old boy, allegedly sent a picture of himself carrying a rifle and a knife via Snapchat, a photo-sharing social media application for cellphones. The photo featured a message that read: "It's hunting season," according to Erie County sheriff's office Chief Deputy Jared Oliver.Police charged the boy with inducing panic, a first-degree misdemeanor, Oliver said.Several students saw the Snapchat photo and notified school administrators Tuesday night, Oliver said.Administrators then notified the sheriff's office, according to Edison superintendent Tom Roth. "We're still investigating the origin (but) we have reason to believe (the photo) came from (the boy's) account," Oliver said.School administrators also received reports the boy allegedly threatened to track down the students who reported him for allegedly bringing a knife into the high school last month, Oliver said.The boy was charged with a felony for bringing the knife into school and was taken to the Erie County Detention Center.The boy was supposed to attend a meeting with administrators today with his parents, which would have been his first time back in the school since the knife incident.Roth said Edison Schools takes threats seriously."If we feel that there is merit to the threat we notify our students, parents and staff via one call to inform them that we are aware of the threat and that we are working with law enforcement to help ensure that our students are safe," he said. "Safety and security are of the utmost importance in our schools."As of Wednesday afternoon, the boy was still being held in the Detention Center.Later on Wednesday, student families were questioning speculation about what had occurred. The sheriff's office said there is no evidence to support claims a different student posted the photo than the boy who was arrested.Oliver also dispelled a rumor that the charge of inducing panic against the student was dropped.The boy apparently told law enforcement he was wearing a Halloween costume in the photo, but police have not been able to corroborate the claim, Oliver said.Police did learn the firearm pictured in the photo is actually a pellet gun.Police are in the process of forensically analyzing photos and other data on the boy's phone, Oliver said.Edison Schools superintendent Tom Roth sent out a one-call to district families later on Wednesday telling them he was prohibited from talking about the incident due to privacy laws, "but the sheriff and the newspaper can." He referred families to the Register and its website for additional information. "Safety and security of our students and staff is our top priority," Roth stated in the one-call. "As I told the high school students this morning, I would never knowingly put them in danger. Their safety is on my mind all the time these days, and we as a district will do everything we can to keep them safe. Please rest assured that we will continue to work with local authorities whenever there is a threat or other safety issue that arise at our school."More Erie County Sheriff's Office articlesReach reporter Brandon Addeo at brandonaddeo@sanduskyregister.com, follow him on Twitter @BrandonAddeo and follow the Register at Facebook.com/SanduskyRegisterAn Edison High School student allegedly sent a picture of himself carrying a rifle and a knife to other students via the photo-sharing application Snapchat with text reading "It's hunting season."