WEBSTER CITY ­– On the same day that Iowans’ attention was fixed on the school shooting in Perry, the Webster City school system was dealing with its own threat of violence.

As a result, two Webster City Middle School students were referred to Juvenile Court Services and subsequently transported to the Central Iowa Detention Center in Eldora, according to Webster City Police Chief Shiloh Mork.

They are accused of “delinquent acts of Threat of Terrorism,” Mork said in a media release.

Because the pair are juveniles, their identities will not be disclosed. Specific details of the threats that were made will also not be disclosed, he said.

Threat of terrorism is a Class D felony in Iowa.

“The Webster City Police Department wants to update the community on two instances involving threats of violence made at the Webster City Middle School on January 4, 2024,” Mork said in the media release.

“Both instances involved a middle school-aged student making verbal threats of violence to the school. Staff at the Webster City Middle School alerted the police department to these incidents and cooperated with both police investigations.

“Both incidents were isolated and unrelated to one another. Neither incident included an immediate threat of violence.”

Matt Berninghaus, superintendent of the Webster City Community School District, released this statement regarding one of the incidents:

“Dear Families, I am writing to update you on an incident that was reported to have occurred at Webster City Middle School near the end of the school day on Thursday, January 4. A middle school aged student was heard making a verbal threat to school safety.

“Our middle school principals immediately took action to investigate and provide necessary information to our local police department. We have now been informed that the student is likely to face charges as a result of the comments.

“While this was an isolated incident, we want our families to know that we take this situation very seriously. We are fully cooperating with the police investigation and are doing everything we can to ensure the safety and security of our entire school community.

“As always, we encourage everyone to speak up if they see or hear anything that could represent a potential school safety issue.

“Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Thank you for your attention to this communication.”

Mork said the Webster City Police Department takes every threat seriously and will respond swiftly and effectively.

“The safety of our community and its resources is paramount. We will do what has to be done to maintain that safety,” the chief said. “It can’t be stressed enough that if you see or hear something, say something.”

The Webster City Police Department was assisted by the Webster City Community School District and Juvenile Court Services with the investigation.