FOX 2 - A 16-year-old United Kingdom boy was arrested for making threats to Michigan high schools including Oxford, said the Oakland County Sheriff's Office.
The UK teen threatened violence at Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook, Brandon, Lake Orion, as well as Oxford - the site of a mass shooting that happened Nov. 30. The boy made the threats on April 8, targeting the schools and he was arrested April 13 overseas.
The threats – none of which proved to be credible – were made by phone and were initially believed to come from Florida and New York state, based on the area codes.
The caller to Oxford High School claimed to be Ethan Crumbley, the former Oxford student charged with the Nov. 30 slayings of four students and for wounding six other students and a teacher.
Using a British accent, the caller said he was depressed and was going to "shoot up the school" and "finish" the job he started.
In a second call to the school, the caller faked an Indian accent and claimed he was going to shoot up the school. When asked for his location, the caller claimed to be in the school. Juveniles could be heard laughing in the background. The school official said law enforcement had been contacted, prompting the caller to hang up.
A third call was answered by a Sheriff’s School Resource Deputy, the caller threatened to come and slap the deputy if anyone hung up on him. Laughter was again heard in the background.
In the Brandon threat, the male caller claimed there was a man in a black pickup truck in the parking lot with an AR-15 gun and he was going to shoot up the school.
Detectives called the number back and the person who answered claimed to be Ethan Crumbley. When asked for his location so detectives could further investigate the claim, he refused to provide it.
Detectives confirmed the same number was used in the threats against Brandon and Lake Orion high schools.
Besides the Oakland County cases, 37 other businesses and schools across the United States received threats linked to the suspect.
"As I said at the time, we were going to be aggressive to hold perpetrators accountable," Sheriff Michael Bouchard said. "In conjunction with our law enforcement partners and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and police officials from the United Kingdom, that has in fact occurred and a suspect has been arrested.
"Let this serve as a message to anyone who would threaten our schools or any other institution in Oakland County. We will come for you."
Extra patrols were assigned to Oxford High School after the calls were made. During that investigation, sheriff’s office detectives learned Cranbrook, Lake Orion High School, and Brandon High School fell victim to similar harassing calls.
Homeland Security is coordinating with law enforcement in the United Kingdom as to possible charges. The teenager was released to his parents while the investigation continues.