He didn’t have a written plan or a weapon. But the threats made by 17-year-old student at a Gwinnett County private school were still taken seriously. Very seriously.
Nathan Bacher, a Providence Christian Academy student, was arrested two weeks ago during an early-morning search of his home. And he’s remained in the Gwinnett jail after being denied bond.
Though Bacher's family contends his threats — made verbally to schoolmates — were a joke and only a response to being bullied, prosecutors claimed he was a threat to his community.
It’s the second time in recent weeks, metro Atlanta judges have taken a harsh stand against teenagers threatening campus violence — even when no one is injured.
On May 14, two former students of Etowah High School in Cherokee County each received 40-year sentences for plotting a deadly attack against classmates and teachers.
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A tipster told school leaders in October 2017 that Alfred Dupree and Victoria McCurley were planning an attack. Investigators found weapons, explosives and a “kill” list during searches of the pair’s homes.
Instead of going to trial, Dupree, 19, and McCurley, 18, pleaded guilty to six counts of conspiracy to commit murder and other charges. McCurley's family and friends previously said her actions were a result of her being bullied.
In the Gwinnett case, Bacher was also getting bullied, his family says. Bacher, of Ethiopian decent, was bullied about his ethnicity, his father said in an online post.
“You are not from Africa, you are from Arab.”
“You must be a terrorist.”
“When are you going to shoot us up?”
But the teen only told his brother about the bullying, not his parents or school leaders.
In class, Bacher sometimes sang a song, “Pumped Up Kicks” by Foster the People, according to other students. The song lyrics describe homicidal thoughts of a young person. Bacher was in his first year attending Providence, after previously attending Tucker High School.
Hours before the last day of classes at Providence, school leaders learned of Bacher’s alleged threats of a shooting at the school, the headmaster told Channel 2 Action News. School leaders called Lilburn police, who went to the family’s Stone Mountain-area home. Bacher was arrested and charged with making terroristic threats.
Dozens of friends of the Bacher family, including members of the family’s church, attended a preliminary hearing earlier this week for the teen. In court, attorney Gregory Schwarz said Bacher had no intention of hurting anyone.
“It was a stupid thing to do, but there was never any ill will behind it,” Schwarz said.
But a judge disagreed and denied bond for Bacher. His next court appearance has not yet been scheduled.
Bacher's family has created an online fundraising page to help pay his legal fees. Friends have voiced their support of the teenager online.
“We believe wholeheartedly that Nathan is innocent,” his father wrote on the page. “....We have made sacrifices so that our son could have access to better education. We are heartbroken about this situation and that our son is going through this.”
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