FBI helps ID suspect in 'Cat in the Hat' threats against Jessamine County schools

JESSAMINE COUNTY, Ky. (LEX NEWS) — A minor has been identified and will face criminal charges in connection with social media threats targeting Jessamine County schools, the Nicholasville Police Department announced Sunday morning.

Nicholasville Police said the FBI aided in identifying the suspect following a thorough investigation into threatening messages posted on TikTok and other social media platforms as part of a nationwide trend involving "Cat in the Hat" content.

Jessamine County Schools notified families Saturday night that administrators and law enforcement were actively investigating the threats and taking appropriate precautions.

Nicholasville Police warned that anyone with "future plans to threaten schools should expect a similarly swift and severe response" from the department and its partners.

Jessamine County Schools is urging students who see threatening posts not to engage with or repost the content and to report it to an adult. The district is also encouraging families to talk with their children about responsible social media use.

"Even content intended as a joke can cause fear and require significant school and law enforcement resources to investigate," district officials wrote.

The "Cat in the Hat" trend, which has affected school districts across the country, involves social media accounts using the name or image of the children's book character to post lists of schools and students along with messages suggesting the character is "coming for" those individuals.

School districts and law enforcement agencies across Kentucky responded last week to similar threats. In Allen County, a local crime task force identified a juvenile accused of posting threatening TikTok messages featuring the "Cat in the Hat" character. Louisville Metro Police said it was also investigating comparable social media threats. Authorities in Harrison County said they are dealing with a similar situation.

Harrison County Schools Police Chief David Jones said law enforcement must treat every threat as credible until proven otherwise.

"We have done everything we can to follow up. Any tips we got from other students, we are interviewing those kids too." Jones said. "With the technology that's out there with AI, they can do anything."

Local and state law enforcement agencies increased their presence at schools last Monday as a precaution.

Cynthiana Assistant Police Chief Robert Peak said Kentucky law provides serious penalties for people who make false threats that trigger an emergency response, noting that incidents like these would likely fall under Kentucky's swatting law, enacted in 2022. A swatting offense can be charged as a Class D felony, carrying a potential prison sentence of one to five years.

"It's becoming more of a regular occurrence. It takes away a lot of resources that could be devoted to something more important, but then what's more important than parents having that feeling of safety that they can send their kids to school? Nothing outweighs that," Peak said.

Officials across Kentucky are encouraging parents to talk with their children about online safety and to report any messages, images or posts that reference them, their school or make them feel unsafe. Families are advised to save screenshots of concerning content and share them with school officials or law enforcement.

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