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Webster H.S. student accused of making threat on Snapchat

Webster Police patch

A Webster high school student has been accused of a making a threat on the messaging app Snapchat.

Police in that town say that 18 year old Bernardo Melendez Jr. is a student at Webster Schroeder High School, and he now faces a felony count of ‘making a terrorist threat.’  Police  say they were notified of the Snapchat post on Saturday afternoon.

A statement from the Webster School District says that Melendez was communicating with another student from Schroeder on Snapchat and posted a photo of himself holding what appeared to be a gun with a written message that was threatening to the Webster Schroeder school community.

That post was eventually shared with district administrators by a concerned parent, and Webster Police were contacted. According to school officials, the investigation determined that Melendez acted alone, and he will not be in school this week, pending a superintendent’s hearing.

Anyone with additional information is asked to call 911.

Police officials say this was an isolated incident and that there are no concerns for the safety of the students and staff at Webster Schroeder. They do say that all threats are taken seriously by both the school district and the police department, and those situations will be fully investigated and those responsible will be prosecuted.

Melendez was released to the custody of his parents on an appearance ticket and is due back in court on December 18.

Randy Gorbman is WXXI's director of news and public affairs. Randy manages the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.