An 18-year-old Antioch High School student was arrested and charged with felony after making a threat to "blow up the school," an incident that has stirred concern among students and parents alike. According to WSMV, Richard Byers, who was detained on campus, reportedly told the assistant principal, "I don't have guns, I have bombs," while undergoing a search for excessive lateness this Tuesday.
The allegedly facetious remark escalated when Byers followed up by stating, "I’m going to blow up the school," as per the arrest affidavit mentioned by WSMV, the assistant principal initially tried to dismiss Byers' alarming claim however when the statement was repeated concern grew amongst the school administration. School security later found two vape pens on Byers' person, both testing positive for THC, after responding to the situation at the school and hearing from multiple students about the unsettling conversation, law enforcement took Byers into custody.
Further corroborating the account, WKRN reported that various students were in the hallways relaying to authorities that they had heard a classmate mentioning having a bomb or explosives. In response to the chilling threats, Richard Byers has been charged with making a threat of mass violence toward a school, as well as making a false threat – both severe charges that speak to the gravity of such statements in today's climate.
Byers' apparent jest did not mitigate the seriousness with which the authorities dealt with the situation; acknowledging that in an era where school safety is paramount, there is a thin line between juvenile humor and potential catastrophe, when questioned about the comments Byers admitted to the utterance of the threats but claimed they were made in jest. The incident, detailed further by Ground News, echoes a growing concern over the security of educational institutions and the well-being of those within their walls—underscoring that, regardless of intent, such remarks are met with unequivocal seriousness by law enforcement and educational authorities alike.
