Orange County Sheriff's Office to add extra security after two threats this week at Cedar Ridge HS

Deputies said a student reported a threat written on the floor of the school gymnasium on Thursday. The message said he or she would engage in gun violence on Nov. 14.

Officials said based on previous experiences, administration put the school on a soft lockdown to enable staff and deputies to conduct a thorough investigation more quickly and efficiently. In a soft lockdown, the exterior doors are locked and no student is allowed to be anywhere on school property without an escort.

Earlier this week, a threat was found in a bathroom stall. This follows a threat made in October that led to the arrest of Dylan W. George, 18, of Mebane, a senior at the school. He was charged with communicating a threat of mass violence on educational property, a class H felony. Officials said George spent a week in the Orange County Detention Center and is now under the supervision of the Pretrial Release Program.

George has since been released from custody.

As a result, Orange County Schools Superintendent Dr. Monique Felder said extra security will be put into place at the school.

“We are taking these threats seriously and are actively working with the Orange County Sheriff's Department to ensure the safety of all students by increasing security measures on the Cedar Ridge High School campus," Felder said. "My top priority is the safety of students, staff, and our community.

"Moving forward, we will continue to work hand-in-hand with law enforcement to help students understand the consequences of school threats, while also insuring our families and students know about the social, emotional and mental health support systems we have in place.”

Orange County Sheriff Charles Blackwood said a $2,500 reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person who made the threats.

“As I’ve said before, threats to school safety are incredibly dangerous, disruptive, and anxiety producing," Blackwood said. "We must assess each threat with consistency and diligence while keeping the protection of the school community as our top priority.

"We know young people do impulsive things and sometimes exhibit poor judgment. In an ideal world, a student who made such a threat might be served best through counseling and discipline. However, our community’s need for safety creates a reality where instead, a student making such a threat could face potentially life-changing criminal charges.”