Carroll County Teen Arrested After Online Threat Targeting Mt. Zion High School

Carroll County, GA – On November 17, 2025, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, working closely with Carroll County Schools, quickly identified and arrested the person responsible for an online threat directed at Mt. Zion High School after school hours.

The investigation began when Carroll County 911’s administrative line received a call from a juvenile who claimed to be in Grand Rapids, Colorado. The caller provided a name and phone number that didn’t match the caller ID, raising immediate red flags. School Resource Officer Lt. JP Garmon was notified, and the Sheriff’s Office Criminal Investigations Division (CID) launched a full investigation.

Investigators obtained emergent records for both phone numbers. One was linked to a TextNow account, which led detectives to an IP address and a physical location in Fruita, Colorado. Law enforcement partners in Fruita and Grand Rapids, Colorado, were contacted to assist with locating the juvenile caller.

Grand Rapids Police quickly found the juvenile, who explained that during a group chat involving a juvenile female in Carroll County and an unidentified male, the male participant made violent threats, stating he planned to “hurt some people and murder other people at Mt. Zion High School.”

CID investigators and members of the ACE Unit then located the female juvenile in Carroll County. She identified the person making the threats as 18-year-old Leland Sprewell of Bowdon, GA. Investigators went to Sprewell’s residence, made contact, and confirmed that the Instagram account used to issue the threats belonged to him. Sprewell was arrested and charged with Terroristic Threats, a felony, and transported to the Carroll County Jail.

This case highlights the strong working partnership between Carroll County Schools and the Sheriff’s Office, particularly the School Resource Officers assigned to the county’s campuses.

“We take every threat seriously, and we act immediately,” said Sheriff Terry Langley. “The rapid coordination between our SROs, 911 staff, CID investigators, ACE Unit, and our law enforcement partners in Colorado allowed us to identify the suspect quickly and ensure the safety of our students.”

The investigation has determined this to be an isolated incident. The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office will continue to respond swiftly to any threat involving local schools.