Skip to main content

Dad Arrested for 'Testing' School Security

By Tanya Roth, Esq. on January 14, 2013 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Parents have definitely been concerned for the past month, after the tragic shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut.

But some parents are taking their concerns to the next level. In fact, one father in Texas allegedly tried to "test out" one school's security by telling staffers at an elementary school that he'd brought a gun into the building.

Ronald Miller was unarmed when he told a school greeter at Celina Elementary School that he had a gun and that his target was outside, reports Dallas-Ft. Worth's KXAS-TV.

The greeter froze upon hearing Miller's claim, and Miller proceeded into the building. Miller was also recognized by staffers as a parent of a student.

But he was all talk. Miller made threats inside the school, telling people "you're dead and you're dead." But he never brandished a weapon.

Eventually, he came clean and said that he was just punking everyone, to test out school security. But nobody was laughing.

Police arrested Miller shortly afterward. He is now being held on $75,000 bail.

The school had told parents it had heightened its security measures following the Sandy Hook attack. Miller allegedly wanted to test that out.

But now is not the time to test out security measures through dramatic, over-the-top behavior. With the nation on high alert, schools are taking all threats very seriously.

While Miller's threats were empty and his actions may have been well-intended, they nevertheless landed him in legal hot water. In general, it's a crime to make threats of terroristic activity; even fake threats of bringing a gun to an elementary school could result in jail time, especially if the hoax leads police to take action.

In some states, a person who initiates a hoax that results in a law-enforcement response can be forced to reimburse taxpayers for the cost of that response.

Parents at Celina Elementary aren't shunning Ronald Miller just yet. In fact, many are outraged that the school let Miller walk away, and that the school wasn't placed on lockdown, Dallas' KTVT reports.

Related Resources:

Copied to clipboard