Sheriff clears Harmony football game after ruling threats fake

A 17-year-old student received 11 stitches after a group attack near Harmony High School, an incident that triggered a chain of false shooting threats leading up to a scheduled football game. The Osceola County Sheriff's Office confirmed on Friday that the match against St. Cloud High School will take place as planned on the evening of October 23. Officials determined the threats circulating in the community were not genuine after a thorough investigation.

The security details for Friday night include an expanded deployment of law enforcement resources. Deputies from the Osceola County Sheriff's Office will be stationed at the venue alongside K-9 units and mounted patrol officers. Personnel from the St. Cloud Police Department will also be present to assist with crowd control and perimeter security. This layered approach aims to provide reassurance to families and players attending the event.

The origin of the false alarms traces back to a tip received by the sheriff's office on Thursday night. The initial report claimed a shooting would occur at the game. Text messages containing the same claim began spreading among students on Friday morning. Investigators verified that neither the phone tip nor the digital messages were credible. Authorities noted that the person responsible for the hoax falsely attributed the threats to the teenager injured in the earlier assault.

The underlying conflict began on October 16, when a 17-year-old intervened during a lunch period at Harmony High School. The student reportedly stood up to a group throwing carrots at another girl. The confrontation escalated into a physical beating later that day. The injured student was transported to a hospital for treatment. On October 21, police arrested nine students, with ages ranging from 14 to 18, in connection with the violence. The charges filed include felony aggravated battery and felony inciting a riot.

Captain Kim Montes of the sheriff's office emphasized that the department would hold the source of the false threats accountable. Montes stated that false reports of a shooting would not be tolerated and that the suspect would face criminal charges if identified. As of Friday, the specific individual who originated the threats had not been named. The sheriff's office continued to work to establish whether that person had any prior connection to the injured student.