CANTON, Miss. — A teenager is facing charges after threats were made last week against some Canton schools.

A 16-year-old was arrested Sunday and charged with cyberstalking, authorities said. Madison County Sheriff Randy Tucker said the threats came from a former student at Canton High School who had been expelled.

Deputies investigated and determined that the threats were legitimate.

"When you begin to expound and make social media threats and threaten groups of people and display the behavior of someone that could carry out that threat, you really have to look at those under a microscope," Tucker said.

Canton Superintendent of Schools Cassandra Williams said once the district officials were made aware of the threats, they followed protocol of locking down buildings and contacting law enforcement. Williams said parents and students were extremely helpful in reporting the threats.

"We were trying to make sure our parents and students were aware that we received all the messages they sent to us and that we were working with local law enforcement to get to the bottom of it," Williams said.

The 16-year-old is being held at the Yazoo County Juvenile Detention Center.

Orginially posted on WAPT.com