A 19-year-old Florida man has been charged for allegedly threatening a shooting earlier this month at Fort Payne High School in DeKalb County, Ala.
Anthony Brett Kessler is accused of making the threat on March 5, Fort Payne Police Department Chief Randy Bynum said in a news release.
According to a statement on the arrest issued by the Lee County (Fla.) Sheriff's Office, Kessler is from Lehigh Acres, Fla., and is being held in the Lee County Jail. He was taken into custody on a fugitive from justice warrant Tuesday at a restaurant on Palm Beach Boulevard in Fort Myers.
Lehigh Acres is about 100 miles east of Parkland, Fla., where the Valentine's Day shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School took place a little more than a month ago.
In the Lee County statement, authorities said Kessler threatened a shooting at the high school.
The threatened action was supposed to take place the next day, March 6, Bynum said.
The Florida or Alabama agencies did not release any further details about the threat or a motive.
Bynum thanked Fort Payne Police Department detectives, Gadsden FBI Special Agent Frank Langdon and Supervisory Resident Agent in Charge of the FBI Gadsden office Stan Ruffin for their help on the case.
"The cooperation that Gadsden FBI gave us in bringing Mr. Kessler to justice cannot be measured," Bynum said. "This is an example of cooperation between agencies going above and beyond for the safety of Fort Payne school students."
Lee County officials also praised the cooperative effort, according to the statement from Florida authorities.
"We have been, and continue to be, committed to ensuring a safe environment for our children and for our residents," Undersheriff Carmine Marceno said. "In addition to our own security operations, we are committed to work closely with any and all federal and state agencies in need of our assistance."