Teen in custody following “Cat in the Hat” threat against Andalusia High School
ANDALUSIA, Ala. (WAKA) – City leaders in Andalusia say a local teen is in custody following a threat made against Andalusia High School.
The teen is in the custody of the Department of Youth Services and could face charges ranging from harassing communications to making terroristic threats.
A nationwide social media trend uses AI-generated images and videos of a Dr. Seuss “Cat in the Hat” character making threats. The images and videos are shared on social media or sent as private messages.
As Action 8 News has reported, there has been a similar case in Chilton County.
Last Sunday, school and police officials in Andalusia received the first reports of a threat to an Andalusia High School student made via SnapChat.
Sgt. Jackie Woods and Officer Ryan Maddox, both school resource officers, immediately began investigating, and the APD assigned Investigator Tyler Patterson to work with them, Capt. Brett Holmes said. They were able to identify the SnapChat account used to make the threat, and obtained a warrant that allowed them to determine to whom the account belonged, the phone used to log into the social media platform and the IP address used.
Today, the juvenile suspect was interviewed and confessed, Holmes said.
“In this case, the parent was 100% cooperative,” Holmes said. “She understood the severity of this cause and the disruption it has caused and continues to cause.”
He says there are other potential suspects and that the investigation is continuing.
Yesterday, Andalusia City Schools Superintendent Dr. Daniel Shakespeare issued a statement about the local incidents related to the national trend, and encouraged parents to do their part.
“What we are asking of parents. Talk with your child about this trend,” he wrote. “Most of these videos are made with Ai and are not real, but a post or message that names a school or a student is treated as a real threat no matter who made it or why. If an account connected to the trend messages your child, or your child sees a post naming one of our schools, our community, or a student, do not reply, share or comment. Take a screenshot that shows the account name and the date, and report it the same day to your child’s principal or to the Andalusia Police Department at 334-222-1155.
“Creating or sharing one of these posts is not a prank,” he wrote. “Alabama House Bill 7, effective July 1, 2026, defines a credible threat as a ‘knowing and willful statement or course of conduct which, based on the totality of the circumstances, would cause a reasonable person to fear for his or her safety or the safety of another.’ Under the same act, ‘if a student is charged with making a terrorist threat in the first or second degree, the school system shall immediately suspend that student from attending regular classes,’ and a student adjudicated or convicted ‘shall be expelled from school, and the court may order the student and the parent or guardian of the student to pay restitution to law enforcement, emergency medical service providers, and the local board of
education for any costs incurred relating to the crime.’ ”
