Gwinnett Daily Post

WINDER - A man accused of calling in a bomb threat to a Barrow County school Thursday was arrested at 3:34 p.m. that afternoon.

Barrow County sheriff's deputies and Winder police officers arrested Johnny Ray Wilson, 34, at his Winder home.

Wilson is charged with obstruction and 12 counts each of terrorist threats and disruption of public schools. He is being held in the Barrow County Detention Center without bond.

At 7:26 a.m. Thursday, a Waffle House employee reported getting an anonymous phone call from a man who said a bomb was planted in a Barrow County school. She called the information in to 911 operators.

Three schools are inside Winder's city limits with 13 in the county, prompting action from both law enforcement departments. All 16 of Barrow County's schools were evacuated, according to Lisa Leighton, spokeswoman for the school system. All students were back in class within about an hour and a half, according to Leighton.

"Each campus has a designated evacuation site," Leighton said. "We are very proud of the way the schools followed their emergency preparedness plan. When you are moving that many people, something could happen, but it went off without a glitch."

Trained personnel searched every school and found nothing.

"Because the threat and subsequent law enforcement response occurred before the school day officially began, the result was a minimal delay in getting the school day started," said Lt. Dennis Dorsey, Winder Police Department spokesman.

Wednesday, a 15-year-old student took a live, homemade bomb strapped to his body into the Jackson County Comprehensive High School. He surrendered to authorities after two hours of face-to-face negotiations.

"After that, we got ready because we knew something else might happen," Dorsey said.