Special announcement by Oconee Sheriff’s Office

“The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office would like to notify the public of a generalized threat made by a juvenile to inflict harm at a nonspecific church by the use of a firearm. The threat of violence was posted on the juvenile’s social media account last week, however the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office learned of this media post yesterday (5/21/19). At this time the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office, Westminster Police Department, SLED, and the FBI are aware of the allegations and all of these agencies are working in accordance with one another to vigorously investigate this threat. Officials believe the threat is contained to a generalized geographic location and no specific individual persons or churches were named. The Oconee County Sheriff’s Office patrol division is aware of the situation and has made necessary adjustments to their patrol routines to ensure the safety of the community. We ask all churches (as they should at all times when services of any type are being held) to continue to remain very vigilant during their worship services and church activities. As always if you see or hear anything abnormal please call the Oconee County Sheriff’s Office at (864) 638-4111 or for an emergency call 911. To leave an anonymous tip call Crime Stoppers at (864) 638-7867 or 1-888-CRIME-SC. We appreciate the public’s cooperation and assistance with this matter.

‘We encourage all houses of worship to be proactive when it comes to safety and security. We will be glad to speak with any church representatives in our county about steps they can take to increase security at their church.’