The Henry County Sheriff’s Office is confirming that the search for a suspect wanted for causing disruption near Woodland High School, located at 800 N. Moseley Drive, ended around 2pm.
Sheriff Reginald B. Scandrett says 24-year old, Shelby Mark Poss is in custody after a multi hour situation that ended without injury. Poss was identified by witnesses who say he was standing in the vicinity of Woodland High School waving a handgun.
The suspect was wearing gray shorts, no shirt and no shoes when one of the witnesses encountered him while dropping her children off at Woodland High.
The parent instructed her children to ‘duck’ as she drove past Poss and into the school’s parking lot.
According to the Henry County Sheriff’s Office, Poss ran towards the school and doubled back triggering a response that involved multiple law enforcement agencies.
Authorities secured a perimeter to protect students and staff at Woodland High, Woodland Middle and Woodland Elementary Schools which all, subsequently, were locked down. A mass emergency notification was then sent to surrounding homes and businesses as authorities tracked Poss.
Poss, who has no history of mental illness, was pursued in a neighboring area he’s known to frequent. Sheriff’s officials say he is suspected of being under the influence of narcotics. A handgun was recovered.
Sheriff Scandrett says, “This was an isolated incident that started around 10:30am and was over before school was dismissed and no one including the suspect was harmed. Our collaborative effort with the aforementioned agencies allowed us to bring Poss into custody in a timely manner,” Sheriff Reginald Scandrett said.
Preliminarily, Poss will be charged with reckless conduct and disruption of public schools.
⚠️ Reminder: Crime articles contain only charges and information from police reports and law enforcement statements. Suspects and defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
