School district responds to indictment of armed man on Central High campus

After a Mt. Pleasant man was indicted this month by a grand jury for allegedly carrying a firearm onto the campus of Columbia Central High School in May, school district administration commented Tuesday about the incident.

Former firefighter Roy Brooks was indicted on Aug. 17 by a Maury County grand jury and charged with carrying a firearm onto the school's property.

Brooks allegedly responded without authorization to an active shooter scare at CCHS on May 3, which was later deemed a "hoax" by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation, who said many schools across the state were affected.

According to District Attorney Brent Cooper, Brooks arrived at the school May 3 wearing a tactical vest and carrying an AR-15 rifle. Brooks, who was terminated by Columbia Fire & Rescue in 2022, was charged with carrying a weapon onto school property, a Class E felony, and later booked at the Maury County Jail on Aug. 25 on $10,000 bond.

More:'We're ready': Maury Co. students return to school with pep in step on Monday

Maury County Public Schools Superintendent Lisa Ventura and the district released a statement about the incident on Tuesday, explaining the district discovered a week after the incident that Brooks had been armed on campus.

Maury County Sheriff’s Department and City of Columbia Police Department initially responded to the shooter hoax call in May.

"The response was immediate and applauded," the district statement said.

"Upon assessing the scene, the threat was deemed by officials to be invalid and resulted from a 'Robocall.' Once local law enforcement authorities cleared the scene and deemed the campus safe, Central High School returned to business as normal."

However, one week later on May 9, the school district received notice that one of the responders was not among authorized law enforcement personnel, according to the statement.

" ... Maury County Public Schools received an allegation that one of the armed responders at the active shooter incident was not employed by either of the responding authorities and questioned that individual’s presence on campus during the incident," the statement says.

The district did not state where the allegation originated, but explains that Superintendent Lisa Ventura notified the sheriff's department and police department of the possible presence of an unauthorized person on campus.

"Subsequently, Maury County Public Schools turned its surveillance footage over to the District Attorney’s Office to investigate whether a crime had been committed," the statement said.

"Maury County Schools took no further action as there was a continuing investigation by local law enforcement and no immediate threat to school safety."

PHOTOS:'We're ready': Maury Co. students return to school with pep in step on Monday

The investigation remains ongoing with Maury County Sheriff's Department as the lead investigating agency.

While the incident occurred on county grounds, Columbia Police Chief Jeremy Alsup said police served as a "second unit" during the initial call, which is proper protocol because the incident happened at a school.

Brooks was not an authorized member of any local law enforcement response team.

"I've seen video where he is around our S.W.A.T. team members. There was a discrepancy because we had some guys out there training and people thought he had arrived with us, since he arrived at the same time," Columbia Police Chief Jeremy Alsup said. "But he is not on our S.W.A.T. team nor was he representing our S.W.A.T. team at the time.

"At the time, our main focus was the safety of the children and the teachers in that school."

Alsup added the reason no arrest was made at the time was that law enforcement did not deem Brooks an immediate threat.

Meanwhile, the incident seems to have sparked controversy between district leadership and Central High school leadership, regarding the district's timing in communicating about the incident.

Maury County Commissioner Gabe Howard said he stands behind Central High School Principal Michael Steele after a supposed "suspension," along with the same sentiment from some high school parents.

Howard called it "a mistake, and an example of what happens when there is a lack of communication."

He also said "communication" could have been better between the district and Steele.

"Steele was the leader of this school, and he should have been briefed about all of this. There should be a positive resolution on this, and [Ventura] has the ability to do that, the ability to make this suspension go away, realize that emotions were high given the circumstances ...

"Dr. Steele is an asset to this community and adds value to the kids at Central High School's life."

More:Steele named principal at Columbia Central High School

The school district has not confirmed any disciplinary action taken toward Steele with The Daily Herald.

"It is the policy of the Maury County Public Schools not to discuss personnel matters," the district statement said Tuesday.

"Maury County Schools is committed to providing a safe environment for the students, faculty, and community, especially within our schools and campuses. Policies, procedures, and safety measures are continuously being evaluated. We are thankful for our partnership with the local law enforcement officials."

This is a developing story.

Jay Powell is a general reporter for The Daily Herald. Get up-to-date news in your inbox by subscribing to The Daily Herald newsletter at www.ColumbiaDailyHerald.com.

Kerri Bartlett contributed to this story.