Florida: 10-Year-Old Boy Arrested Over Making School Shooting Threat Pleads Not Guilty

The 10-year-old boy from Florida who was arrested months ago after allegedly threatening to engage in a school shooting pleaded not guilty to the charge slammed against him on Monday.

New York Post identified the 10-year-old as Daniel Marquez. The Florida boy was reportedly from a police station in handcuffs accompanied by his dad when he entered his plea in Lee County juvenile court.

The Florida boy is accused of threatening to commit a mass shooting during an event in his school, which he made through sending text messages.

He is reportedly from Patriot Elementary School located in Cape Coral.

Florida Boy's Dad Says Messages Sent Were 'Misinterpreted'

On Monday, Daniel's father, Dereck Marquez, as well as his attorneys, criticized Lee County Sheriff Lee Merceno for publicizing the arrest of the 10-year-old. The dad also noted that the authorities misinterpreted the messages sent by his son.

The authorities revealed that the Florida boy said in one text that he scammed his friend for $1 trillion with a Google image of money. He then sent an image of AR-style rifles, claiming that he bought the firearms for the money.

"Get ready for water day," the Florida boy said.

On Monday, Dereck underscored that the "water day" reference was not connected to the preceding messages that were sent.

Meanwhile, Foundation Against Intolerance & Racism (FAIR) Managing Editor Letitia Kim slammed the charges pressed against the Florida boy, calling them "bogus."

"Daniel Marquez is an innocent 10-year-old child who has been falsely accused and publicly maligned by the Lee County Sheriff," Kim said.

Kim further noted that their focus at the moment is to repair the harm experienced by the Florida boy and ensure that the same thing will not happen again in any other families in Lee County.

FAIR took up Daniel's case after his arrest.

10-year-old Boy Arrested Over School Shooting Threat

The 10-year-old boy from Florida was arrested in May after he made the school shooting threat through a message.

The Lee County Sheriff's office posted a video of the boy being escorted by an officer to the police vehicle. Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno called the behavior of the 10-year-old "sickening," contending that what he did was not funny, prompting him to face real consequences.

Last month, Marceno defended his decision to arrest the Florida boy, arguing that the threat made by the fifth-grader "called for stiff treatment."

"As sheriff, the safety and security of our students and schools in Lee County have been my top priority," Marceno emphasized.

The Florida sheriff then mentioned that they act immediately to investigate any and all threats made against their students or schools.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written By: Joshua Summers

WATCH: 10-Year-Old Florida Boy Arrested for School Shooting Threat - From Fox News