Sleepy Eye police investigate "Cat in the Hat" TikTok threat

Police in Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, have an adult male student in custody after social media threats were made towards both schools in the area. 

According to police, a concerned citizen called the police department Tuesday after seeing the TikTok post. Police worked with representatives from both schools and learned the threat was not credible. Both schools remained on a soft lockdown on Tuesday out of caution. 

During their investigation, police learned someone with the username "Cat in the Hat" made the post. Police also learned of a second TikTok post by Cat in the Hat, containing a list of names, which was then removed from the social media platform. 

According to police, the man in custody is not responsible for the second post. 

Police say they contacted the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and learned the Cat in the Hat posts are a viral nationwide trend. Police are urging parents to speak with their children about participating in these types of social media trends. 

At this time, there is no credible threat to either school in Sleepy Eye or the general public.

Criminal charges are being considered.