NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – Since the deadly shooting inside a Georgia high school earlier this month, Tennessee law enforcement agencies have been forced to investigate numerous threats.
Chris Stanford, district attorney general for Warren and Van Buren counties, said he believes the tragedy at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia has led to a lot of copycat behavior.
Back in 2022, Stanford said 13 Van Buren and Warren County students were charged with threats of mass violence. So far in the 2024-25 school year, there have been two. This week alone, he said he’d received reports of daily, sometimes even hourly, threats that had to be looked into.
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“We look at every threat because every threat has to be vetted,” Stanford said. “You cannot have one of these threats and not take it seriously. If you make these kinds of threats, you violate Tennessee law, and you will be held accountable. It’s simply because we want our students to feel safe in a learning environment where they don’t have to worry.”