DEBARY -- An 11-year-old boy is facing criminal charges after he claimed to have explosives and threatened to blow up students, his school and a bank, the Volusia County Sheriff's Office said.
Other students on the school bus reported the threats Wednesday to the bus driver, who immediately stopped the bus in DeBary while on its morning route to River Springs Middle School.
Sheriff's deputies who were dispatched to the scene shortly before 8:30 a.m. searched the boy's backpack and the bus for
explosives and discovered that the boy had made up the tale. He told deputies that he was talking about something he had seen in a move and also was joking about blowing up things in a video game. However, interviews with other students revealed a different story, Sheriff's spokesman Gary Davidson said.
"Four other students reported hearing the boy make claims of having dynamite and liquid explosives and threatening to either blow up other students, the school or a bank," Davidson said. "One witness said the boy threatened to blow up a student who was being mean to him."
After investigating, deputies concluded that the boy made up the stories, Davidson said. He was charged with making a false report about planting a bomb or explosive device and disruption of a school function. Meanwhile, the School District dispatched another bus to the scene and the approximately 50 students boarded the second bus and were transported to school. The boy was released to his mother after the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice determined that he didn't meet their criteria for detention.