Deputies investigate threat involving youth hockey academy at Hertz Arena

ESTERO, Fla. —

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a written threat made by a child involving student-athletes from a local hockey league practicing out of Hertz Arena.

According to an incident report, deputies arrived at the ice rink facility just after 11 a.m. last Wednesday following reports of the threat. The owner of Southeast Elite Hockey, a local youth hockey academy operating out of Hertz Arena, provided deputies with additional details.

Dan Chiodo, a neighbor in Estero, shared his thoughts on the situation.

"When these things happen, we need to pull that person aside immediately," Chiodo said. "They may not be guilty. They may not have been thinking that, but we can't take a chance."

Parents of players in the hockey league declined interviews, citing concerns about potential implications for their children. However, they said the director of Southeast Elite Hockey sent an email to parents alerting them to the threat.

Staff at Hertz Arena referred inquiries to leadership with both the arena and the hockey league. The president of Hertz Arena issued a statement addressing the matter.

"We are fully aware of the serious student-related incident and associated safety concerns involving Southeast Elite Hockey, Inc., one of several independent organizations that utilizes our facility. The safety and security of all students, staff, players, and members of our community is our highest priority. We will continue to support local law enforcement and appropriate authorities to ensure this matter is addressed with the utmost care, urgency, and responsibility."

Chiodo shared personal experiences that highlight his concerns about safety.

"My wife, in her career, had two instances, once where she was in the middle of a bank robbery and once where she was in a shooting incident in a supermarket," Chiodo said. "Now, we'd like to think these things rarely happen, but when she called me when she was in those situations, it's not good."

The sheriff’s office confirmed that no arrests have been made, and deputies with the school threat enforcement team are still investigating. While the exact nature of the threat remains unclear, it was violent in nature, according to the incident report.

The sheriff's office released a statement about the investigation:

"The Lee County Sheriff’s Office is aware of an incident involving student-athletes from Southeast Elite Hockey Academy that occurred at Hertz Arena on April 22.

"Due to the nature of the incident, detectives with the 4th Precinct Crime Section and the School Threat Enforcement Team (STET) initiated an investigation.

"Detectives are actively conducting interviews, reviewing digital evidence, and gathering additional information.

"The investigation remains ongoing as they continue to diligently pursue all leads."

Despite multiple attempts to contact leadership at Southeast Elite Hockey on Wednesday, no response has been received as of Wednesday evening.

DOWNLOAD the free Gulf Coast News app for your latest news and alerts on breaking news, weather, sports, entertainment, and more on your phone or tablet. And check out the Very Local Gulf Coast app to stream news, entertainment and original programming on your TV.