MTSU Student Arrested For Terrorism Threat

A 19-year-old student at Middle Tennessee State University is in jail for making terrorism threats.

Justin Davis of Antioch has been charged with an act of terrorism and one count of arson. he was jailed on $500,000 bond yesterday after threatening e-mails forced the cancellation of two days of classes.

Wednesday afternoon several people, including campus police, received an e-mail threatening widespread destruction if classes were not cancelled. Later that night a fire in a dorm’s common area forced students to evacuate the building.

Campus Police Chief Buddy Peaster said they erred on the side of caution since other schools have been criticized for not taking action when credible threats arise.

“We felt like it was very important for MTSU not to be in that category but for us to act and to act swiftly to safeguard the safety of everyone on campus.”

Students, like freshman Kalina Neely, says she received a text-message about it through the campus alert system while she was in class.

“Everyone seemed pretty calm about it, I freaked out, but everyone else just seemed to think that it’s a prank that someone’s pulling.”

Speech Professor Virginia Donnell says she worried about students flooding out of buildings at the announcement that class was cancelled.

“And if there was anyone trying to do them any kind of harm, having them all out at the same time – I worried about them, and I actually worried about myself while walking out into the parking lot.”

Police said no motive had been determined, but said Davis was cooperating with investigators about the case. The student is a freshman majoring in dental hygiene.

 

Blake Farmer and Jacqueline Fellows contributed to this report.