Deer hunter causes ‘soft lock-down’ at Nation Ford High

A man faces charges for hunting near Nation Ford High School, causing a brief lock-down shortly before dismissal today, police said.

A passerby noticed the man, dressed in hunting gear and carrying a crossbow, and notified the school, which then contacted police. Fort Mill Police officers arrived and found the man a short time later. The man, who has not been identified, cooperated with officers and was taken into custody “without incident,” said Maj. Bryan Zachery, public information officer for the Fort Mill Police Department.

“When he was seen by a passerby, because of how he was dressed and what he was carrying, that’s how the call came in,” Zachery said.

The man remains in custody with charges pending, he said.

“It turns out the guy was illegally hunting on property adjacent to the school,” Zachery said. “He did not have permission to be on the property and was obviously attempting to hunt in the area.”

Zachaery said the S.C. Dept. of Natural Resources was contacted and is part of an on-going investigation. He said the suspect could face multiple charges.

“It’s currently being investigated and I’m not certain what charges are applicable, but certainly there will be charges, but (the suspect) probably will not be charged until tomorrow morning,” he said.

Both Zachary and school officials said the man posed no threat to students, but the school enacted a “soft lock-down” until he was in custody. Students were dismissed at 3:56 p.m., about 15 minutes later than usual.

“It was just a precaution,” said Fort Mill School District Spokeswoman Kelly McKinney, who is also the parent of a student at the school.

“There was no apparent indication that he intended to do anything on that property but deer hunt,” Zachary said.

It’s unclear exactly where the man had been hunting. The trail head for the Nation Ford Greenway is on A.O. Jones Boulevard, across the road from the high school. Zachary said it appears the man was hunting on greenway property, but not school property.

In an email to parents, Nation Ford Principal Jason B. Johns Principal wrote, “Around 3:30 (p.m.) administration was informed of a male in fatigues carrying what appeared to be a crossbow walking into the woods behind our the Nation Ford Stadium. Because student safety is paramount, we implemented a “soft lock-down”– teachers and students remained in classroom with all exterior doors locked. During this entire episode our students were safe in their classrooms; at no time were students in harm's way.”

Johns said parents were notified about the delayed dismissal via a message system call from Assistant Principal Dr. Emily McQuay. He also praised staff and students for remaining calm during the lock-down.

“I would like to take this opportunity to tell you how proud I was of our teachers for their calm demeanor and immediate response as well as Nation Ford School Resource Officer, David Prescott, and the Fort Mill Police Department who addressed the situation in a timely and professional manner...I am also immensely proud of our Nation Ford students who did exactly what we asked of them,” he wrote in part in the email.

This story was originally published December 1, 2015 at 9:13 PM with the headline "Deer hunter causes ‘soft lock-down’ at Nation Ford High."