The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has arrested four students for conversations they reportedly had on Facebook where they discussed killing a fellow student they believed responsible for the arrest of their friend.
Arrested on the charges of aggravated stalking (person under 16 years old) were Nichole Renae Cruz, 13, 346 Muskegon Ave., Fort Myers; Hope Anne Williams, 14, 474 Eland Drive, North Fort Myers; Camren Melon Monroe, 14, 2714 N.W. 5th Terrace, Cape Coral; and Amber Nichole Fredrick, 14, 295 Duncan Lane, North Fort Myers.
Last Thursday, Jan. 27, 14-year-old Nicholas Gonzalez was arrested for possession of a firearm on the campus of North Fort Myers Academy for the Arts, located at 1856 Arts Way, North Fort Myers.
The following day, a parent of another North Fort Myers Academy for the Arts student contacted the Sheriff’s Office to report the discovery of several death threats against her child that had been posted on Facebook. According to a report from the Sheriff’s Office, the dialogue between the four students indicated they believed this child was responsible for notifying law enforcement which resulted in Gonzalez’s arrest for possession of a firearm at school.
The parent of the targeted student provided Facebook conversations between the four students to law enforcement officers. In the conversations between the four students they discuss the identity of the suspected “snitch.” During the course of these conversations each student makes a threat to kill this person, officers said.
Due to the nature of the incident, detectives with the Youth Services Division of the LCSO assumed the investigation. The targeted student and a sibling were removed from school by the parent who was in fear for their safety. The parent had initially learned of the threats from her child who had been approached at school and warned by others that there were threats against his life on Facebook, reports indicate. The sibling had been approached as well.
The parent and children believed these threats to be credible as they involved a student who had reportedly been in possession of a gun. The investigation revealed the targeted student had no involvement in the arrest of Gonzalez and in no way participated with law enforcement regarding that incident, according to the report.
After obtaining subpoenas and determining the identities of those involved in the conversation, search warrants were conducted by deputies on the computers and cell phones of those involved. Search warrants were also executed at 2714 N.W. 5th Terrace in Cape Coral, 474 Eland Drive in North Fort Myers and 294 Duncan Lane in North Fort Myers.
Computer towers, laptop computers, and cell phones were seized as evidence.