Officials later determine weapon to be air-soft rifle
Jesse James Pratt
Robbinsville – A 31-year-old man was arrested Friday morning, when officials say he was spotted with a weapon on school grounds.
Jesse James Pratt – who gave an address of 22 Doug Sneed Garage Drive in Murphy – was spotted on the campus of Robbinsville’s Four Square Head Start around 8:29 a.m. with a gun. Graham County Sheriff Joseph Jones and detectives from the office were joined by Robbinsville Elementary School Resource Officer Jack Booth at the scene within two minutes of the call to dispatch.
Pratt was said to be walking away from the school with what resembled an AR-15 firearm in his possession. Officials took Pratt into custody – without incident – and the weapon was later discovered to be an air-soft pellet rifle.
Still, Pratt was booked on charges of going armed to terror of the people, two counts of possession of a weapon on educational property other than firearm or explosives, second-degree trespassing and disorderly conduct interfering with school.
“I’m proud of our focus on keeping our kids safe at school,” Jones said in a Facebook post about the incident Friday evening. “I want to commend not only my folks quick response but that of the School Resource Officer, which could have made the difference in an active-shooter situation.
“This type of situation is why it’s imperative to have a great working relationship with our schools, to train with school personnel as much as possible and have a deputy assigned to our school campuses to assist School Resource Officers.”
The Facebook post about the arrest drew some criticism. Several members of the community said Pratt appears to be homeless, has slept on the steps of the facility and – as one user pointed out – “He was never a harm to ur (sic) children.”
“Anytime there’s a threat – with any kind of firearm or weapon on school property – we’re going to respond and act accordingly,” Jones said. “Just because it was a fake gun doesn’t mean he gets a free pass. We’re dealing with more and more people that are homeless – whether it’s by choice or other – and they’re leaving backpacks, needles and trash on school property. We do try to help these people and a lot of times – if you’ve got a reason to take them into custody – it’s going to help keep them out of the cold, or the rain. They’re going to get meals to eat and dry clothes.”