Boy, 11, Publicly Processed After Alleged School Threat
An 11-year-old boy found himself handcuffed and paraded into a Florida detention centre this week after authorities alleged he compiled a 'kill list' targeting individuals at his educational establishment. Karson Curry was formally processed at the Volusia County Sheriff's Office on Monday following the disturbing allegation concerning Highbanks Learning Center in Deltona.
Surveillance footage released by the department showed the young pupil with his head bowed, arms secured behind his back, as deputies escorted him from a police vehicle into the station. Officials confirmed that despite determining Karson Curry had no access to firearms, they proceeded with his very public arrest, seemingly to establish a stark precedent.
A Controversial Strategy for Deterrence
This incident represents the latest application of Sheriff Michael Chitwood's contentious policy of conducting public 'perp walks' for minors accused of threatening their schools. The Volusia County Sheriff's Office appears resolute in continuing this approach, having detained and publicly identified at least eight children, including three who are just eleven years old, through online posts of these walks over the past two months.
A statement from the department clarified that Sheriff Chitwood believes these public displays of discipline will 'stress to students and parents that these types of threats will result in felony charges.' Karson now confronts a serious felony accusation for making a written threat to kill.
A Pattern of Threats Among Pre-Teens
Curry's arrest occurred a mere fortnight after another 11-year-old, Aahriyanna Reed, was taken into custody under strikingly similar circumstances. She was accused of writing a kill list at her desk at Riverview Learning Center on October 27. Despite reportedly telling deputies she was 'just playing,' she was arrested and subjected to the same perp walk procedure.
This pattern extends further. In September, Caiden Sanford, also 11, allegedly wrote a 'kill list' on his desk at Southwestern Middle School, later telling authorities he did so because he was 'angry and having a bad day.' Similarly, Jesse McIntyre was arrested on October 5 after allegedly posting a TikTok video threatening to 'shoot up' Campbell Middle School.
The sheriff's office has expressed concern that school threats are becoming normalised. Following one arrest, the department posted on social media: 'If you're tired of this, imagine how the 99 percent of students, parents, teachers and school staff are feeling.'
Karson Curry attended Highbanks Learning Center, a specialised programme described by the county school district as providing education in a 'highly restrictive' setting for selected students from grades six to twelve, with a focus on modifying behaviour and social skills.
This situation unfolds against a sobering national backdrop. According to the Educator's School Safety Network, the 2024-25 academic year witnessed 2,058 reported threats of school violence across the United States. This figure is more than four times the number of actual violent incidents recorded, suggesting a significant disconnect between threats and action.
While data indicates a longitudinal decrease in violent threats, experts speculate this may be due to 'the implementation of more severe consequences,' such as those seen in Volusia County. However, the same nonprofit also cautioned that it is 'much more likely that the number of threats received has not actually declined, but rather that threats are considered commonplace and therefore less likely to be reported.'
