Hiram Freshman Arrested Shortly After Threat’s Discovery

Hours before students awoke for another day of classes Wednesday, Paulding County deputies arrested one of the school’s freshmen for allegedly threatening Tuesday to shoot his peers the next day.

According to a news release from the , 17-year-old Dustin Wade England admitted to making threats online that he would shoot multiple students at the school Wednesday. Jail records show that England was arrested and booked at 1:48 a.m. Wednesday.

PCSO Cpl. Ashley Henson said no weapons were found at England’s home; his arrest record lists him at an Angham Road address in Hiram. England’s arrest came after a parent about 10 p.m. Tuesday learned about the online threat from their child, then alerted local authorities and Atlanta-based media outlets.

Henson added that the department has no other suspects related to the threat investigation at this time.

England is charged with making terroristic threats—a felony. He is currently being detained at the Paulding County Detention Center where he is being held with no bond.

Officials with the have been working with deputies since learning about the online threat late Tuesday and early Wednesday.

“The principal of the school [Jason Freeman] was made aware of the situation last night, I believe sometime after midnight, and cooperated with local law enforcement in order to provide them the information they would need to pursue their investigation further,” Associate Superintendent Brian Otott told Dallas-Hiram Patch Wednesday morning. “Anytime you have an incident of this nature, you communicate with your staff.

“After assessing the situation, the school has not been placed on lockdown because we believe that through the sheriff’s department, that situation was resolved in a very effective manner, and we appreciate their support,” Otott added. “The [school resource officer] at Hiram High School is involved in this as well. We cooperate with law enforcement, because of course our ultimate goal, along with theirs, is the safety of our students.”

Though authorities averted a potential tragedy, Otott said counseling is being made available to students on an as-needed basis. “If students are experiencing any stress related to that, our counselors are always available,” he said.

Otott said Hiram High officials have fielded the questions from parents who have called the school to ask about the incident. He added that the district later today plans to send a communication home to parents to brief them on the incident and the school’s response.

Those with information regarding this incident or any incident in the future regarding school violence are asked to call the Paulding County Sheriff’s Office at 770-443-3010.

“In light of recent school shootings and other types of violence on school campuses worldwide, we take all threats seriously,” Sheriff Gary Gulledge said in a news release Wednesday morning. “Any threat to our children and our schools will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

Other schools in the metro Atlanta area have seen similar incidents this year. In Cherokee County, in connection with threats made on Facebook and Twitter. Last month, after “RIP CHS kids 2/16/12. There will be a shootout. This is for real" was found on a bathroom wall.