COLMESNEIL – A 17-year-old is in custody following what authorities said was a threat of mass violence due to a seating assignment in school.
Aaron McDonald, a senior at Colmesneil High School, was arrested after CISD superintendent Sharon Tule made a report to the Tyler County Sheriff’s Office about a possible threat made by a student, according to Tyler County Sheriff Bryan Weatherford.
When deputies arrived on the scene, on Wednesday, August 20, after school hours, they were told that McDonald had threatened “to shoot up the school,” Weatherford said.
McDonald was heard “making several threats including ‘killing everyone in this school’,” Weatherford said.
He added that the threat was heard by several other students in the classroom, and in the investigation, learned that McDonald was upset about a new seating assignment for his class.
Parents and guardians were alerted to the threat on Wednesday, through the district’s Remind system.
Pct. 2 Justice of the Peace Mike Hughes issued a warrant for McDonald’s arrest, and he was taken into custody, and charged with felony terroristic threat. His bond was set at $50,000, and along with other conditions of his bond, he is prohibited from being on CISD property.
As the investigation unfolded, CISD Board of Trustees President Eric Lee laid out a timeline of the events for parents and wanted to let everyone know that the district is working closely with local law enforcement as the investigation continues.
“Through this cooperative effort between concerned students, school officials and law enforcement, we were able to assess the threat and take the necessary action to ensure the continued safety of the students and staff,” said Weatherford.
