14 DAY TRIAL // Christopher Johnson, of Strasburg, is facing charges after causing a commotion at the Sandy Hook Elementary, this time in Virginia.
Johnson simply walked into the school carrying a piece of wood with the label “High Powered Rifle.” He then explained he was trying to raise awareness about the necessity of better security in schools.
He wanted to prove the point that the piece of wood could have been an assault weapon and nobody stopped him from bringing it in the school.
The incident occurred in the wake of the mass shooting in which 27 people were killed, at a namesake school in Connecticut.
According to witness accounts, he managed to waltz through the front door, and encountered a receptionist. He asked to speak to principal Melissa L. Foltz about his message on school safety.
Foltz “immediately got him into her office and closed the door,” and the county schools superintendent states that she “had a conversation with Johnson.”
A school guard subdued him, and called the police. Johnson was arrested for disorderly conduct, a misdemeanor charge, Northern Virginia Daily reports. He is currently being held without bail, until an investigation into his intentions is finished.
Although doors inside the school are closed, the front door was open and remained open after the incident.
“I don't think you can go to any school in this area and not find the front door unlocked,” superintendent B. Keith Rowland explains.
“We don't know his intentions, but it did seem to be related to bringing awareness to school safety. [...] That's going to be confirmed through the course of the investigation,” Maj. Scott Proctor of the Shenandoah Sheriff's Department says.
“No one should enter school property and cause disruption or fear or display any kind of behavior that could be interpreted as threatening,” Proctor describes Johnson's actions.