Sheriff charges 9-year-old autistic child with making bomb threat

UPSON COUNTY, Ga. - With so many tragic stories of school violence in recent memory, every threat must be taken seriously.

But, FOX 5 I-team Senior Reporter Dale Russell has been investigating a bomb threat made at one Georgia elementary school in Upson County that has some asking if "zero tolerance" has gone too far.

A 9-year-old fourth grader with autism scribbled "Bone Thrat" on a bathroom wall. After evacuating the school, the local sheriff's department charged the boy with a felony: terroristic threats and acts.

His case is now headed to juvenile court. Dale talks one on one with the boy and his mother. And, the sheriff explains why he can't take any chances and hopes the courts, in the end, will help the boy.