Man accused of threatening Marathon High School 'as a joke' arrested

Duviel Gonzalez, 19, posted pictures of guns on Instagram, threatening message

Duviel Gonzalez is accused of posting pictures of guns along with a message threatening Marathon High School on Instagram.

MARATHON, Fla. – A 19-year-old man was arrested Saturday night after posting pictures of guns and a threatening message directed at a Florida Keys high school on a social media site.

Duviel Gonzalez faces charges of written threats to kill or do bodily harm and marijuana possession.

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Monroe County Sheriff's Office spokesman Adam Linhardt said Gonzalez posted pictures of guns along with a message threatening Marathon High School on his Instagram page.

Authorities were notified of the posts by numerous concerned citizens Saturday morning.

Sheriff's detectives, working alongside federal agents and the state attorney's office, were able to locate Gonzalez using the IP address provided by Instagram's parent company, Facebook.

"When interviewed by detectives about his actions, Gonzalez told them he did it as a joke," Linhardt said.

A Marathon High School band event went on as scheduled Saturday afternoon with an increased law enforcement presence.

Sheriff Rick Ramsay said there is no remaining active threat to the community.

"I couldn't be happier with how our community came together in response to those disturbing posts on social media," Ramsay said. "I'm particularly proud of our young people, who were quick to alert adults. We were able to make a timely arrest in this case as a result of help from our fellow citizens, the hard work on behalf of the sheriff's office and our partners at other law enforcement agencies."

The arrest comes days after another 19-year-old man, Nikolas Cruz, was arrested in connection with a mass shooting that killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.