Additional juveniles charged in ‘Cat in the Hat’ threat
Greg Mays, Deputy Commissioner of the Tennessee Office of Homeland Security
LISA HOBBS - News Editor
The Tennessee Office of Homeland Security is asking for the public’s assistance in stemming the viral trend called “Cat in the Hat.”
While Warren County Way was working on that information, it received word that more juveniles have been charged in connection with the local “Cat in the Hat” threat. According to Warren County Sheriff’s Office, petitions have been signed for three juveniles charging them with disorderly conduct in connection with the incident. Those charges were levied by Homeland Security.
“The ‘Cat in the Hat’ trend seems to be very popular now; it’s an online viral sensation,” said Greg Mays, Deputy Commissioner of the Tennessee Office of Homeland Security. “It’s not unique to Tennessee. We believe it started in the UK and it’s all over the country. It is, essentially, screen captures or re-imaging of ‘Cat in the Hat’ figures, primary from the 2003 ‘Cat in the Hat’ movie. There’s nothing wrong with doing that. The problem is that a lot of these images have dark or unsettling undertones and then, even worse, they are overlayed with threats. Threats to a school, threats to a person or a group of people or threats to the community and that’s where it crosses the line.”
That line was crossed in Warren County by a juvenile. While Warren County Way has a screen capture of it, it will not be distributed. However, it does depict an AI generated scary image of the “Cat in the Hat.” The threat names “targets” by first name only, excluding one. One boy’s first and last name was used. It also states, with the three red, white and blue heart emojis, “WCHS, I’m coming for yall (expletive).”
In a press release by Warren County Sheriff’s Office, the student was served with a juvenile petition on Tuesday, Sept. 1. The adolescent was charged with making threats of mass violence on school property. However, it stated that the investigation is ongoing and additional charges are expected.
“We are seeing some threats to schools,” Mays continued, “We are seeing some threats to school-age children and general threatening or dark images that make veiled threats. Some of them are very difficult to pinpoint. It might be a threat to a capital or a particular place that we’re not sure where it is. Some of them are very clear and precise: a certain school or a group of kids. Every one of those threats that have some sort of investigative thread that we can pull on, we are investigating.”
What happens online doesn’t always stay there, says Mays.
“It’s important for people to under that an online threat or an online joke, that they may think is a prank or a joke, can quickly turn into an offline law enforcement investigation. There are consequences for making threats to schools or threats to other people. People have a tendency to get caught up in viral sensations. We all do. We all look at things online, but this ‘Cat in the Hat’ phenomenon is taking a dark turn.”
The press conference was held by Mays to raise awareness and hopefully, prompt community support in stemming this dangerous trend: parents were urged to speak to their children about the real-life consequences of participating in any dangerous online trend, while the community is advised to be part of the solution, not the problem.
Mays says members of the community are hindering law enforcement investigations when they share the post, rather than reporting it. Additionally, spreading the posts keeps the trend going.
“I would urge anyone who’s listening to me today, if you see one of these posts and it’s troubling, report it to law enforcement, but don’t cut, paste and repost. That does not help,” stated Mays, who later added, “The troubling thing about this ‘Cat in the Hat’ trend is that it seems to be gaining steam. I think there may be an accompanying belief or underlying thought that since it’s ‘Cat in the Hat,’ since it’s popular, since everyone is doing it, that there are no consequences for this. ‘I can post whatever I want, and I can threaten whomever I want, and I can threaten my school.’ I’m here to say, that’s not the case. There are consequences for making those threats. You can look at ‘Cat in the Hat’ all you want to. You can look at creepy pictures or whatever, but do not use them to threaten people.”
Residents can file a suspicious activity report online at TN.gov. This portal is not for emergency reporting or crimes in progress. Residents can also report suspicious activity to Warren County’s non-emergency number: 931-668-7000. For emergencies, call 911. Warren County Sheriff’s Department can be reached at 931-473-7863.