TAMPA, Fla. — A 15-year-old was taken into custody Thursday morning after a late-night investigation into a bomb threat directed at Middleton High School.
The situation began just after midnight on April 9, 2024, when the Tampa Police Department received word of a threatening text message. A current Middleton student told investigators he received a message on Wednesday from an acquaintance he knew from the prior school year. The texts reportedly read “Middleton bomb” and “Tomorrow.”
Detectives quickly identified the sender as Daniel Ahorrio. While the investigation was underway, the Tampa Police Bomb Squad performed a full sweep of the Middleton High campus in the early hours of Thursday.
The search was completed before students or faculty arrived, ensuring that the school day started on schedule without any delays or safety issues.
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Chief Lee Bercaw emphasized the seriousness of the incident in a statement following the arrest.
“Threatening the safety of a school is not a joke; it is a felony,” Bercaw said. “Our detectives worked through the night to ensure students and teachers could arrive at a safe campus this morning. We have zero tolerance for this behavior, and we will continue to hold anyone who disrupts the peace of our educational community fully accountable.”
Ahorrio, who is not currently enrolled at Middleton, was arrested at his Riverview home at 10:22 a.m. The arrest occurred without incident, and he was subsequently transported to the Juvenile Assessment Center. He now faces a felony charge of making a written or electronic threat to conduct a mass shooting or act of terrorism.
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