The student posted the threat shortly after 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 22, and was arrested by police less than 13 hours later. The timeline of the case progressed rapidly, which eliminated the threat and potential danger before a lot of Mequon residents were even awake on Friday morning.

“Investigators were able to contact the app developer via telephone and leave a message, which was returned within an hour or two. The developer required legal documentation (a search warrant) to access his records. The Mequon Police Department works very closely with the Ozaukee County District Attorney’s Office, even after regular business hours, so a search warrant was drafted and signed by a judge,” Chief Graff said.

“Once officers and investigators received all of the necessary information they needed from the associated search warrants, they applied for another to search the suspect’s residence, which they did early the next morning. The process to obtain all the necessary legal documentation is quite time consuming, but we expedited the process due to the nature of the threat.”

The threat is in direct violation of the terms of service of the Whatsgoodly terms of service. Under the category “Unauthorized Activities,” it states users of the app agree not to “defame, abuse, harass, stalk, threaten, or otherwise violate the legal rights (such as rights of privacy and publicity) of others,” or “discuss or incite illegal activity.”

The terms of service also explains that Whatsgoodly will cooperate with law enforcement agencies during any investigations of suspected illegal activity on the app. “When there are posts that threaten the safety of our users we will cooperate with local authorities to address the threat,” Adam Halper, Whatsgoodly CEO, said in a TMJ4 article.

Chief Graff said the suspect is being charged under the state statutes of “Bomb Threat,” which is a felony, and “Unlawful Use of a Computerized Communication System,” which is a misdemeanor. He also said the consequences for the criminal offenses will be decided through the court system and any consequences at school will be handled by the school district. The possibility of a criminal record will be decided by how the case proceeds through the court system.

The police chief expressed his message for anybody who believes they can hide behind a screen, kids or adults. “You are never really ‘anonymous’ when using digital electronics such as cell phones and computers,” Chief Graff said. “You leave a digital ‘footprint’ everywhere you go.”

“Notice I didn’t just say ‘kids.’ Adults can be just as guilty of posting inappropriate messages or getting involved in online activities which are questionable.”