A Warren County High School teacher was recently arrested after he allegedly threatened to shoot students and his boss, officials said Wednesday.
During the April 24 incident, 22-year-old Mason Garrett “made verbal threats to shoot both staff and students at the school,” according to the GBI. The high school enrolls fewer than 200 students and is located about 50 miles west of Augusta.
According to an arrest warrant obtained by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Garrett allegedly said the school’s principal “would be the first name on the list” if he were “to shoot up” the high school.
“This statement was witnessed by students,” the warrant said.
Garrett, a first-year agriculture teacher, did not respond to a request for comment. The school’s principal declined to comment.
Warren County School System Superintendent Christopher Harris said district officials were told that Garrett made “inappropriate comments in one of his classes that day.”
The district placed Garrett on administrative leave and ordered him not to return to the school as “the matter was investigated,” Harris said in a statement to the AJC.
“The district’s preliminary investigation determined Mr. Garrett’s remarks during his class included a specific threat directed toward his supervisor,” Harris said.
Law enforcement was then alerted. On April 28, a Warren County Sheriff’s Office school resource officer requested the state agency investigate.
Garrett, of Newton County, faces one felony count of making terroristic threats and acts. He was arrested and booked into the McDuffie County jail the following day. He was released May 1 after posting a $5,000 bond, according to jail records.
His bond conditions include staying away from Warren County and having no contact with the principal, according to online records.
The GBI said the investigation is ongoing. Once it is completed, the case file will be given to the Toombs Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for prosecution.
Anyone with more information is asked to contact the state agency at 706-595-2575.
— Please return to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution for updates.
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