A Portage teen was arrested Thursday on a charge of intimidation after Portage Police said that he posted threats of violence on his Facebook page.

Police identified the teen as Eric L. Rizley, 19, of 3044 Angelina St.

According to police, at 7:41 a.m. the father of one of Rizley’s Facebook friends arrived on station to report that earlier in the morning he’d read a status posted by Rizley which “caused (him) great concern in light of recent events.” That status, posted at 4 a.m.: “Watch out portage people might be dying soon.”

A number of Rizley’s Facebook friends, including his mother, subsequently responded to that post in an attempt to “calm him down and determine what exactly he’s talking about,” police said.

Rizley’s “reply to his mother asking him to stop is ‘No seriously imma go on a rampage’ and then ‘bang bang,’” police said. “When she asks him again to stop, he replies ‘No this is it I’m bout to flip out.’ An hour later, he also posted as his status ‘I’m bout to flip out right now.’”

Officers subsequently made contact with Rizley, “who admitted it was the wrong thing to do but he was angry because, after someone had broken into his house and stolen a game system and laptop, someone then stole his Beats headphones,” police said.

Rizley also advised that “he’s a good kid but just isn’t dealing well with things in his life, and claimed he had no intention of carrying out the threats,” police said. Rizley “had no answer as to why he didn’t stop posting them when his mother asked him to.”

Rizley “did offer to go to counseling in lieu of being arrested,” police added.

Rizley was transported to Porter County Jail.

Posted 12/28/2012