19-279 Deputies Arrest Countryside High School Student For School Threats
Student Arrest
Who:
Pinellas County Sheriff's Office
Patrol Operations Bureau
Ian Michael D’Amico (Arrested)
DOB: 01/17/2005
School: Countryside High School, 3000 SR 580, Clearwater
Charge: Written Threats to Kill, Do Bodily Injury, or Conduct a Mass Shooting or an Act of Terrorism
What:
Deputies have arrested and charged a student at Countryside High School for making school threats on social media.
When:
Deputies were notified and responded to the residence of the student at approximately 7:00 p.m., on Sunday, November 3, 2019, to conduct the investigation.
The suspect was arrested at approximately 7:54 p.m. on November 3, 2019.
Where:
The suspect was arrested at his residence located in Safety Harbor.
Why/How:
On Sunday, November 3, 2019, at approximately 7:00 p.m., deputies received an anonymous complaint stating 14-year-old, Ian D’Amico, posted photos of firearms on his Instagram account, at approximately 5:00 p.m., with the statement, “Don’t go to school tomorrow.”
Deputies advised during their investigation, D’Amico admitted to posting four images of firearms on his Instagram account, “monkeywitharifle,” with the caption, “Don’t come to school tomorrow… THIS IS A JOKE. DO NOT REPORT (It’s not a joke), indicating Monday, November 4, 2019.
D’Amico told deputies it was intended as a joke and that he made the post to gain followers and to "get some laughs" from his followers. D’Amico informed deputies he did not believe anyone would take the post seriously.
Deputies confirmed that D’Amico did not own any weapons nor have access to any weapons.
Deputies arrested D’Amico and charged him with Written Threats to Kill, Do Bodily Injury, or Conduct a Mass Shooting or an Act of Terrorism. D’Amico was transported to the Pinellas County Juvenile Assessment Center without incident.
As always, we encourage the public to report any suspicious activity to law enforcement immediately and we will diligently investigate all reported information.
The investigation continues.
A booking photo of D’Amico was not available at this time of this release.
