STEUBENVILLE–The juvenile who allegedly posted threats to the Buckeye Local school community on social media, disrupting classes and panicking parents, will remain in custody, Judge Frank W. Noble Jr. ruled Thursday.

The juvenile’s initial appearance was a brief one, held behind closed doors, and at the conclusion Sheriff Fred Abdalla Jr. said the judge had determined that, “at this time, the child will be remanded back to the detention center pending filing of charges and completion of a diagnostic assessment.”

The juvenile was initially arrested by sheriff’s deputies on a charge of inducing panic, but Abdalla said it’s the prosecutor’s office that will determine the actual charges.

“These types of threats are devastating to the community,” Prosecutor Jane Hanlin said. “They cause so much fear and panic for teachers, parents and students. In light of the soaring number of school shootings across the country, every threat must be investigated quickly and thoroughly. We are proud of school officials, students and families, and our law enforcement community, for taking all necessary steps to keep our children safe. The prosecutor’s office will determine appropriate charges for the juvenile in the coming days.”

The threats, first reported Monday, led to a heightened law enforcement presence and a modified lockdown at all Buckeye Local schools that day, Abdalla said. A second threat surfaced Tuesday evening, “this time listing individual students by name.”

“Investigators were able to gather evidence indicating that the threats were made by a single individual, who was soon identified and taken into custody,” he said in a post on the sheriff department’s Facebook page. “During an interview, the suspect admitted to being responsible for both sets of threats involving the Buckeye Local School District and its students. Multiple electronic devices were seized, including one believed to have been used to send the threats.”

He’d said in that statement that the investigation is continuing, despite the juvenile’s arrest and confession, and that the department “remains vigilant and committed to ensuring the safety of all students, staff and faculty throughout Jefferson County.”

“We are going to continue to investigate and we will be submitting reports and materials to the prosecutor for review so they can determine the appropriate charges,” he reiterated after the hearing.

Abdalla credited the help and cooperation of the Belmont and Lorain county sheriff’s departments; the FBI; Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation; Ohio Investigative Unit; Ohio State Highway Patrol Hub and Intelligence; Ohio Statewide Terrorism Analysis and Crime Center; the Steubenville, Weirton and Wells Township police departments; Hanlin; the Buckeye Local School District and Superintendent Coy Sudvary; and OME-RESA for their assistance with the investigation, “but most important, my staff, every single one of them who showed up, worked hard and sacrificed time (with their families.)”