High school student in custody after lockdown in Putnam County

Authorities said the student claimed to be in possession of a gun.
Published: Aug. 27, 2024 at 10:03 AM CDT|Updated: Aug. 28, 2024 at 12:12 AM CDT

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - A Putnam County high school was placed in a brief lockdown after a student claimed to have a gun, according to the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office.

The sheriff’s office reported that at approximately 9:40 a.m., a 9th-grade student at Cookeville High School stood up in the middle of English class and declared, “I’ve got a gun in my backpack.”

The teacher reportedly notified the front office by pushing the panic button in her classroom, and the school resource officer was brought in on the situation.

The student was immediately detained and searched, according to the sheriff, and no firearm was found. Cookeville High School removed the lockdown just before 10 a.m. and resued normal operations.

The sheriff reported that the student was booked into Putnam County’s Juvenile Detention Facility and charged with threatening mass violence on a school property.