Martin County High School students charged in 'phony' text incident, Sheriff's Office says

STUART — Two Martin County High School students were charged Friday with disrupting a school function  after sending a text urging another student to contact a Sheriff's Office detective, according to a Sheriff's Office spokeswoman. 

The 15- and 16-year-old boys  were given a civil citation, Christine Christofek, Sheriff's Office spokeswoman, said. 

Students need to know they "can't do stuff like this via texting or the internet,"  Christofek said. 

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The school district initially confirmed the incident. Later in the day a spokeswoman did not return calls for comment. 

The Sheriff's Office was first contacted Friday morning by a parent, Christofek said, while the Sheriff's Office was simultaneously learning about the incident from a social media post. 

If a similar even happens in the future, Christofek said, the best thing a parent can do is contact the law enforcement directly. Posting on social media, she said, can "cause a little bit more of a panic." 

Police or sheriff's officials have the resources to better investigate the situation, Chistofek said. 

No additional charges against the two students are expected, Christofek said, but they possibly could face school disciplinary action.

"We don’t believe there is anything further to it," Christofek said, "and we do believe we have everyone involved."