Facebook Threats Land Student in Slammer

Students commended for coming forward

Last Friday, NBC5 reported on a student at Joliet Catholic Academy who was charged with threatening other students on facebook.

During that report, NBC5 showed some footage of facebook, and in it, a student named Aaron Stroud appeared.

To clarify, Aaron Stroud had nothing to do with the harassment charge and we apologize to Aaron and his family for any confusion.


JOLIET -- A Joliet Catholic Academy student who threatened a Columbine-style attack at the school on his Facebook page was arrested Thursday after other students reported his Internet comments to their parents and school officials, police said.

Kyle P. Tulley, 17, of the 13200 block of Prairie Ponds in Plainfield, faces two misdemeanor charges -- disorderly conduct and harassment through electronic communications, said Charles Pelkie, spokesman for the Will County state’s attorney’s office.  He was released on bond on Friday.

The criminal charges stem specifically from his alleged threat to punch JCA Principal Jeffery Budz, Pelkie said. But police said they are continuing their investigation into the comments made on the social-networking Web site, which also included threats of violence against the school.

Budz could not be reached for comment Thursday, the Herald News reported.

Starting about 9 p.m. Wednesday, several students noticed an online argument between Tulley and others on Facebook. The back-and-forth allegedly included threats of violence, Joliet police Chief Fred Hayes said.

Besides the alleged threat against Budz, Tulley allegedly referred to a firearm and an attack at JCA similar to the mass shooting by two students at Columbine High School in Colorado on April 20, 1999.

The students told their parents about the threats. The parents called school officials, who called police.

School officials arranged a meeting with Tulley and two other students involved, their parents and police Thursday morning before school, Hayes said.

Police determined Tulley was the only one making the threats, Hayes said.

"[The Facebook conversation] does mention one student name in particular," Hayes said. "We are looking into the possibility that there may have been some type of argument about a girl or about an Xbox game that may have [been a motivation for the argument]."

Police searched the students' cars and lockers for weapons and found none. Police also obtained a search warrant Thursday and seized Tulley's computer.

School officials notified the student body and parents of the incident Thursday morning.

Classes continued as normal Thursday. No students were ever at risk of harm, Hayes said.

"This is a good example of students coming forward when they see or hear things being communicated," Hayes said. "This is a great example of working together to ensure everyone's safety."

A statement from Joliet Catholic Academy released Friday urged parents to talk to their children about "the serious of Internet use."

Later Thursday afternoon, what appeared to be the same threats posted on Facebook were re-posted by a reader at the end of the story about the JCA incident in The Herald News Web site's comments section. Police were notified and are also investigating those comments.

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