RICHMOND, Va. -- Richmond City's Office of the Commonwealth Attorney says Virginia students facing charges for school threats are getting younger.
On Monday night, Charles City Council officials announced that a 14-year-old, charged with threats of death or bodily injury to a public school, is now in a detention center until their first court appearance.
At least two Chesterfield teens and one Newport News teen are facing similar charges for different kinds of school threats.
All are under the age of 15.
An 11-year-old from Henrico is also facing a slew of charges in Florida for making threats to schools after Henrico County Police got involved with the child and their family multiple times.
"When I started practicing in Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court, you would see high school students, the occasional maybe 14-year-old at the end of middle school, or the 15-year-old at the end of middle school," said Richmond Commonwealth Attorney Colette McEachin. "Now 10-year-olds, 11-year-olds, 12 to 13-year-olds, charged with serious offenses, sexual offenses, firearms offenses, having the ability to get a fire, to brandish a firearm."
Some parents took to CBS 6's social media pages praising officials for shuttering some schools for safety.
"The police and our office are going to take it seriously because to do otherwise would be negligent on our part," McEachin said.
McEachin is hosting an event with Richmond Public Schools officials and Richmond Police Tuesday night to talk about the process once a student makes a threat, which often starts with schools, and ends with the Commonwealth Attorney's office getting involved.
McEachin said Court Services try to offer different diversions for those who may face possible charges, including mental health services or drug treatment services.
McEachin told CBS 6 that prevention often starts with parents.
"As much as the Commonwealth Attorney's Office does something, or the police department, or a counseling service, or the schools, this is your child," she said.
Parents can be charged for allowing a child to have access to a firearm, especially if they're making violent threats and have the capability of carrying them out.
Though rare, parents could be charged for their child's threat.
"The possibility exists and if the right factual scenario occurred, then that's what my office would do," McEachin said.
Registration for Tuesday's event can be found here.
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