Girl, 11, brings box cutter to elementary school, approaches boy from behind, pokes it on his neck and whispers threat: Cops



An 11-year-old girl brought a box cutter to her southwest Florida elementary school Thursday and used it to poke a boy in the neck from behind while whispering a threat to him.

What are the details?

The Collier County Sheriff's Office said the girl faces criminal charges after the incident at Manatee Elementary School, which is in Naples.

The victim reported the incident to school administrators, who then contacted the sheriff's office, authorities said.

Detectives interviewed both students, the sheriff's office said, adding that the victim said the girl approached him from behind in the school cafeteria and poked him in the neck with the knife several times while whispering a threat.

Detectives and the school Youth Relations Deputy reviewed school security footage, which confirmed the victim’s account, the sheriff's office said.

The Youth Relations Deputy searched the girl and found the box cutter hidden in her waistband, the sheriff's office said, adding that she was taken into custody on charges of possession of a weapon on school property and aggravated battery.

How are folks reacting?

Commenters on a Miami Herald story about the incident published by Yahoo News expressed dismay, to say the least:

  • "Society has about 50 years left. It'll get worse every day. Glad I won't be here," one commenter lamented.
  • "I would like to know more about their history," another commenter offered. "There is no excuse to bring a weapon to school and threaten another child. However, if that child had been bullied, and she felt nothing was done, I understand — but it still doesn't make it right."
  • "11 years old. What a heartache to see children this young already heading down this path," another commenter observed. "Bad parenting .... horrible sites on the Internet, gangs? Dark future for so many. Very disturbing. Start praying America. We are in a terrible 'woke' place and desperately need help."
  • "These weapons of war should not be available to the public," another commenter suggested, tongue fully in cheek. "When will Congress pass common-sense box cutter laws?"
  • "Charge her parents, too," another commenter stated.
  • "America, where have you gone?" another commenter wondered. "Take [the] Bible and God out of the schools, and hell comes marching in!"

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Yikes: Two Michigan McDonald's locations served up Happy Meals with box cutters included



In bizarre incidents at two different Michigan McDonald's locations, children received Happy Meals that contained a box cutter.

In a recent Facebook post, Dawn Paret shared a photo of a bright yellow box cutter and a pen sitting in a Happy Meal box.

"McDonald's I need an answer as to WHY and HOW a box cutter ended up in the bottom of our daughter's happy meal. Simply saying, a happy meal box is your 'catch all' and someone must've accidentally grabbed that one is not the answer I want," the woman wrote.

The McDonald's is located in Warren, Michigan, according to WXYZ.

"Detective Ruden (I'll have to get his correct spelling) called me and said he would go to the McDonald's himself and speak to the manager, Toni, for me. He did and she walked him through the process of filling a happy meal. The boxes are brought up from the back and set out by the fries and filled with a toy and napkin. The employee who grabbed the box assumed it was a toy and just filled the box with the food," Paret later wrote in another Facebook post.

"The 'catch all' station has been removed and all supplies are in the managers office," she noted. "I don't think that level of carelessness should be pushed to the side. I am glad that it made the news and on the WRIF, so that the parents/grandparents etc that saw/heard the story should know to check the happy meal box... If they decide to ever go to McDonald's again...." she wrote.

Last month, another woman shared a photo of what appears to be the same kind of bright yellow box cutter, noting that her daughter had found it in a Happy Meal from a McDonald's in Brighton, Michigan. "I just want to make other parents aware to check their happy meal boxes because my daughter handed me a box cutter that was in her happy meal box thinking it was a toy!!!!" the individual noted.

"The safety of customers and employees is our top priority, and we take these claims seriously. We have been in touch with the customers involved and are continuing to investigate," McDonald's said in a statement, according to WXYZ.

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