A 15-year-old student at West Hall High School is facing misdemeanor charges after allegedly climbing onto the school’s roof Thursday morning, prompting a lockdown of both the high school and a neighboring middle school.
According to the Hall County Sheriff’s Office, the incident occurred around 9 a.m. on April 24, when the assistant principal spotted a suspicious individual carrying a backpack on the roof of the high school. The assistant principal then alerted a school resource officer, and while the two were communicating by phone, the person allegedly jumped from the roof and fled across the school’s practice field into a nearby wooded area.
The assistant principal and school resource officer pursued the individual on foot, while the principal placed West Hall High School on lockdown as a precaution. West Hall Middle School, located nearby, also enacted an exterior lockdown during the search.
Law enforcement, including a K9 tracking team from the Oakwood Police Department and multiple patrol deputies from the Hall County Sheriff’s Office, responded to the scene to assist in the search.
School officials later confirmed the individual was a current student at West Hall High. Investigators visited the student’s home, where they spoke with his mother. Police say she cooperated with authorities and instructed her son to turn himself in.
The student was taken into custody and transported to Hall County Juvenile Court. He faces misdemeanor charges of disruption of a school and criminal trespass.
No injuries were reported during the incident.
Third Hall County school incident this week
This is the second school lockdown in Hall County and the third suspicious event at one of the county schools this week.
On April 21, investigators say a caller from outside the county phoned in a threat to Chestatee High School, prompting a lockdown and heavy law enforcement response.
Two days later, Johnson High was targeted with an online shooting threat.
According to the Hall County Sheriff’s Office, a 16-year-old Banks County student admitted to creating the post in retaliation after a male student at Johnson allegedly failed to attend prom with her as expected. The girl was charged as a juvenile with making a terroristic threat.
