By Robert Tomlinson
News Director
CONSTANTINE — The St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office announced they are investigating online accounts that are alleged to have been sending threats online toward students at Constantine High School.
On Friday, Constantine High School operated under what they called a “cautionary perimeter” after being made aware of a social media post online regarding an apparent social media trend called “Cat in the Hat.” The prosecutor’s office said the content was reportedly posted on TikTok and other social media platforms by an account using variations of the username “catinthehat”.
The posts, according to the prosecutor’s office, stated that those students were “next,” and included “additional statements and imagery suggesting violence or harm.” Because of the nature of the statements and what the prosecutor’s office said was “identification of individual students,” police began investigating and coordinating with the Constantine school district.
Since the initial report, the prosecutor’s office said in its release, law enforcement has been made aware of apparent copycat accounts posting similar content, which are also being investigated.
According to CNN, the “Cat in the Hat” content in question online are mainly videos of a life-sized version of the Dr. Seuss character seemingly lurking outside windows and chasing people, with some videos sometimes saying the character is “coming” to a specific area. The BBC reported this recently caused some panic in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The videos are intended to creep out and frighten people, and many have been found to be AI generated.
Constantine Public Schools Superintendent Patrick Breen said in a statement late Friday that multiple law enforcement agencies conducted sweeps of the district’s campus, and that there was “no reason to believe there was or is any active threat to our school community, but we will always err on the side of caution when it comes to keeping your children safe.” The perimeter was lifted Friday afternoon.
St. Joseph County Prosecutor Deborah Davis said in a statement that creating, sharing, reposting, or participating in threatening social media content can have “serious legal consequences” for both kids and adults. She added that Michigan law prohibits certain forms of cyberstalking, including “posting statements on the internet that are intended to place another person in fear of bodily harm or death and that express an intent to commit violence.”
“A statement made from behind a screen, under a fictitious username, or as a supposed ‘joke’ does not make the conduct harmless or necessarily shield the person responsible from criminal liability. Creating a copycat account or joining an existing online threat may also result in criminal consequences,” Davis said. “Threats involving schools are taken seriously by law enforcement. They frighten students and families, disrupt education, consume substantial police and school resources, and can result in significant criminal consequences for the person responsible.”
Davis said parents and guardians are encouraged to discuss online safety with their children and the seriousness of threatening statements made online, and that social media activity can have consequences far beyond the screen.
The investigation is ongoing, and no formal charges have been filed at this time. Anyone with information concerning the original account, subsequent copycat accounts, or the identity of any person involved is asked to contact St. Joseph County Central Dispatch at 269-467-4195.
Robert Tomlinson can be reached at 279-7488 or robert@wilcoxnewspapers.com.
