Osceola Sheriff Adds K-9s and Mounted Troops to Guard Game After 11 Stitches and 9 Arrests

Osceola County Sheriff's Office deputies will secure the Harmony High School football field on Friday night with K-9 units and mounted patrol officers. The expanded presence accompanies a confirmation that the scheduled game against St. Cloud High School will proceed. This decision follows an investigation into shooting threats that officials determined were false.

The security surge addresses a specific chain of events. Authorities first received a tip on Thursday night claiming a shooting would occur at the game. By Friday morning, text messages carrying the same threat circulated among students. Deputies investigated both the initial report and the digital messages. Officials concluded that neither threat was genuine.

The threats surfaced in the wake of a violent incident near Harmony High School. On Oct. 16, a group of students allegedly attacked a 17-year-old. The victim was transported to a hospital where medical staff gave him 11 stitches. Investigators linked the physical assault to a lunch period dispute earlier that day. During that break, the teenager had intervened when a group of students threw carrots at a girl.

Nine students were arrested on Oct. 21 in connection with the beating. Their ages range from 14 to 18. Prosecutors charged them with felony aggravated battery and felony inciting a riot. The false shooting threats attributed the planned violence to the injured teenager. Investigators examined that claim and also found it to be false.

The sheriff's office has not yet identified the person who originated the threats. Officials have not established whether the threatener has any relationship with the injured student. St. Cloud Police Department officers will also stand watch at the venue alongside county deputies.

Captain Kim Montes of the sheriff's office stated that the agency will pursue criminal charges against the source of the hoax. "False reports of a shooting will not be tolerated and if the suspect is identified, that person will be charged," Montes said. As of Friday, the individual behind the messages remained unknown.