LUNENBURG COUNTY, Va. -- The Lunenburg County Sheriff's Office announced they arrested a 30-year-old Emporia man for allegedly making threats that led to the closure of Lunenburg schools on Monday.
Nicholas Jamal Rhodes was arrested in Emporia after the Virginia State Police High-Tech Crimes Division successfully traced the source of the message.
He was arrested and charged with a felony of communicating a threat to cause injury to persons on school property, according to Lunenburg County Sheriff Arthur Townsend.
On Sunday, the school division abruptly announced that schools would be closed Monday throughout the county.
In a Facebook post, that had its comments turned off, Lunenburg school leaders said the decision was made due to "unforeseen circumstances."
The Lunenburg County sheriff later said the schools were shut down due to a threat made against the schools.
"We were able to determine that the perpetrator was motivated by his anger toward an acquaintance over a certain issue and wanted to get him into trouble," Townsend said. "He used an old Facebook page of the acquaintance and sent the threat to the Sheriff's Office Facebook account."
The technique allegedly used by Rhodes is called spoofing and can lead to serious consequences, Townsend said.
Rhodes was arrested on Wednesday and is being held at the Southside Regional Jail. Bond was denied by the magistrate.
He is scheduled to appear in a Lunenburg court on Thursday morning for advisement of his right of counsel. A date for the preliminary hearing will be set at that time.
"I am grateful for the cooperation of the school administration and all local law enforcement for stepping up to ensure the safety of our students and staff at the schools. I know it was difficult for parents to be patient, but these types of investigations
take time and I am very pleased at the prompt efforts and response of the state police experts," Townsend said.
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
