SIDNEY, Neb. – A social media rumor involving a misplaced softball and alleged threats toward high school students led to an hours-long investigation by law enforcement Thursday, but officials have determined there is no credible threat to students at either Potter-Dix High School or Sidney High School.

According to Cheyenne County Sheriff Adam Frerichs, the incident began when a City of Sidney employee found a softball lying in a ditch along Haskell Hill Road, just north of Sidney. The ball was covered in names, and the employee believed one might belong to a Potter-Dix High School student, so he contacted that student to return it.

The student didn’t recognize the softball and shared a photo of it in a senior group chat on social media in an effort to identify it. Shortly after, another Potter-Dix student received a Facebook message from a Sidney High School student, warning the ball was allegedly a “hit list” created by a group of Sidney students.

Law enforcement agencies were quickly contacted and the Cheyenne County Sheriff’s Office and Sidney Police Department launched an investigation into the origin of the threats and whether they posed a real danger.

Frerichs said the investigation revealed the threats were unsubstantiated and exaggerated, likely stemming from rumors escalated on Facebook and Snapchat. The situation appears to have been fueled by one or two Sidney students misinterpreting the softball and spreading a narrative that quickly snowballed.

“This was a case involving rumors being spread via social media that began to get more and more grandiose each time the story was told,” Frerichs said in a statement. “The story began to take on a life of its own.”

Officials from both the Sheriff’s Office and Sidney Police Department confirmed there is no danger to students or staff at either school.

Frerichs urged the public to take the situation as a cautionary tale.

“Something as innocent as a city employee finding a lost softball blew up into a threats case involving a hit list,” he said. “This tied up numerous personnel and resources from both schools and law enforcement — all traced back to a rumor.”