Chambana Sun

A Champaign teenager has been arrested following an unfounded 9-1-1 call reporting an active threat at Centennial High School. Champaign Police were dispatched at 2:01 p.m. on September 9, 2024, when a 9-1-1 call was placed indicating a potential armed subject at Centennial High School. As the details of the call developed, the caller’s story was found to have several inconsistencies. Multiple officers and the assigned School Resource Officer quickly swept the school to search for any signs of a threat to the safety of students or the facility. Nothing was located in the search that indicated any such threat existed.

After the buildings were cleared, an investigation was conducted by an assigned School Resource Officer who learned that a fourteen-year-old from Champaign had made the call and provided false information to dispatchers. Following an interview with the student and a parent, on September 10, 2024, the teenager was placed under arrest and transported to the Juvenile Detention Center.

Even though an arrest has been made, the investigation remains ongoing. Future updates may be provided as they become available. Champaign Police ask that anyone who has additional information please call 217-351-4545. Arrangements can be made for information to be shared privately. Anyone wishing to remain anonymous may also submit tips to Crime Stoppers by phone at: 217-373-8477 (TIPS); online at 373tips.com; or via the “P3 Tips” mobile app.

Citizens are reminded that information submitted to Crime Stoppers is completely anonymous. Calls are routed to a third-party national call center that receives your information, completes a tips information form, and then passes it on to the appropriate law enforcement agency. Caller ID tracking is not utilized by Crime Stoppers and conversations are not recorded.

All individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.