PORT ANGELES – The 13-year-old Stevens Middle School student arrested Monday morning following a threatening post or posts he made on Snapchat was not found to be in possession of any illegal firearms, but will be referred to Diversion for possessing brass knuckles and butterfly knives, both of which are illegal to possess in the state of Washington. Diversion is an agreement to fulfill certain conditions such as counseling and/or restitution in lieu of prosecution.

In the meantime, the Port Angeles Police Department is asking anyone that may have seen the teen’s Snapchat post to give them a call. The post in question displayed what appeared to be multiple firearms and included text which referenced school. If that post is later determined to have been a credible threat, further charges could be leveled.

PAPD received a report Monday morning from the FBI that Snapchat had contacted them regarding a possible threat to area schools. Snapchat’s privacy policy says that law enforcement must obtain a state or federal search warrant to view deleted posts.

Prosecutor Mark Nichols says the known facts do not support a “true threat” as that term has been defined by the courts but, because possession of the dangerous weapons is a Gross Misdemeanor and the teen’s first offense, state law requires that the youngster be directed to a Diversion agreement.

Nichols added that the police report suggests the post was made on Sunday, the day before police were notified by the FBI, and that the teen told police the contents of the post were meant to be a joke.

Photo: Example of weapons illegal in Washington state