‘Did you use the word murder?’ Ga. sub. teacher arrested after 5th graders say he made threats

EFFINGHAM COUNTY, Ga. — A Georgia substitute teacher has been charged for making terroristic threats after police say he may have used the word “murder” in a classroom full of fifth graders at an elementary school.

Tony Davis, 23, was working as a substitute teacher at Guyton Elementary School in Effingham County when three students reported to the principal that Davis said inappropriate things.

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“The principal immediately went down to the classroom and asked him, ‘Did you use the word murder?’” Guyton Police Chief James Breletic said. “The substitute teacher said, ‘Yes.’

The principal, Gregory Manior, immediately removed Davis from the classroom and Manior and a school resource officer interviewed him.

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“He did repeat the word ‘murder,’” Breletic said. “But said it was a student who said it.”

At that point, the SRO escorted him out of the school.

Manior issued a statement to WJCL, saying, in part:

“After the individual left campus, I went back to the classroom to let the students know that they are safe and that they will never see this individual at our school again.”

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Despite Davis’ claims that a student used the offensive word, police felt they had enough evidence to charge him with misdemeanor terroristic threats. He was booked into jail.

“We’re still looking through the investigation to find out exactly what was said,” Breletic said. “We’re concerned predominately about the safety of our children and our faculty.”

Breletic said they are investigating if Davis may have used offensive language or made threats at any of the other schools where he worked.

Davis has since bonded out of jail.

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