13-year-old charged with making threats to north suburban schools

A 13-year-old north suburban boy accused of making false threats of violence to a number of schools last spring also had evidence of elder abuse on his cell phone, according to police.

The boy now faces seven felony counts of disorderly conduct/false bomb threats; two counts of threatening a school building; and one count of abuse of an elderly person, all felonies, according to a statement from Wilmette police. He is also charged with misdemeanor domestic battery.

The boy was initially taken into custody on Tuesday after his cell phone was linked to series of threats made against several schools in Wilmette, Glenview and Winnetka, according to police.

On April 5 and June 7, phone calls were made to to several Wilmette public schools that “threatened the schools with shootings and bombings, and death to specific faculty members,” police said.

The calls “were vulgar, and implied that violent acts were happening or about to occur,” a statement to parents from the Village of Wilmette said at the time.

On June 8, calls threatened shootings at Avoca West School in Glenview and Crow Island School in Winnetka.

“These calls disrupted the operation of the schools and required police response,” police said.

Investigators traced the call to a mobile phone and eventually to the Wilmette boy. On Tuesday, detectives executed a search warrant and “were able to determine that the juvenile had placed threatening calls to the schools and also placed vulgar and threatening calls to other businesses, stores and institutions.”

Investigators also found incriminating video on the phone.

“… after initially reviewing videos on the seized electronic devices, it was determined the juvenile had committed a domestic battery of his elderly father and abused his elderly father, who was in his care,” police said.

Police said the threats against the schools “were not credible” and the boy “did not have the means to carry them out.”

On Wednesday, a judge ordered the boy released to his mother pending his next hearing., police said.