15-year-old student accused of making threat to Freedom Institute private school in Naples

A 15-year-old girl was arrested after Naples police responded to a private school Tuesday morning to investigate a threat posted on social media. The Naples Police Department said officers responded to the Freedom Institute, located at 2706 South Horseshoe Drive, at approximately 10:54 a.m. A student made a post threatening to kill everyone at the school, NPD said. According to police, officers confirmed there were no existing threats after searching the property and surrounding areas. Detectives identified the suspect as Rachel Cruz Lopez, 15, who is a student at the school, and arrested her. She was taken to NPD headquarters for questioning and is facing charges of written/electronic threat to kill or conduct a mass shooting, a second-degree felony. Cruz Lopez has been transported to the Collier County Jail. 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.