Second Internet threat roils Chester

A Media man has been charged with threatening Chester police for arresting a 17-year-old girl who allegedly vowed in an online post to "shoot up" several Delaware County schools.

David Milbourne, 23, was charged with making terroristic threats and harassment for threats made on Instagram.

His arrest came just a day after police arrested the teenage girl for allegedly posting her threat on Instagram. Chester police said Milbourne's alleged threat was "in response" to the girl's arrest.

District Attorney Jack Whelan said at a news conference Thursday that police do not believe the two knew each other.

The teen's alleged threat, made using social media sites, which singled out the Chester Upland School District, Chester Community Charter School, and Chichester High School as targets, declared: "All blacks must die!"

Whelan said police and investigators enlisted the help of the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, located at the Media courthouse, to help find where the online threats had originated.

They tracked that threat, posted at 6:39 p.m. Tuesday, to a home where the girl, a Chester High School student, was visiting for a sleepover.

About 30 law enforcement officers - including the FBI - converged on the house, surprising the occupants, said Whelan. The homeowners were not directly involved, but it was their WiFi that was used, he said.

The teen "had no idea this would be so serious," said Whelan.

School officials were prepared to close schools, said Whelan. He estimated 10,000 students would have been affected.

The student, whose name has not been released because she's a juvenile, has been charged with terroristic threats and unlawful use of a computer, said Emily Harris, a spokeswoman for the Delaware County District Attorney's office.

She remained in the county's juvenile detention center Wednesday, where she will be evaluated and then sentenced from a rehabilitative standpoint, Harris said.

Authorities were still investigating if the threat was a prank or a dare at the sleepover. The girl "indicated it was more of a prank," Harris said, but police are still examining if the threat had any credibility, she said.

Whelan said people think they can hide behind a keyboard or smartphone and there will not be a reaction from police.

"That is not the case," he said. "We are coming with our team of investigators."