Student charged with threatening to shoot up his school in Jackson County

PISGAH, AL (WAFF) - A Jackson County student is now in jail charged with threatening to shoot up his school.

Joseph Berg of Pisgah has been charged with making a terrorist threat.

Officials in Jackson county have been working to put more school resource officers into the schools and today it paid off.

Sheriff’s officials say the incident happened Wednesday morning at Pisgah High School when some students heard Berg make the remarks. It just so happened a school resource officer was there who was able to quickly corroborate what was said. Investigators were also called to the school and the arrest was made Sheriff’s officials say it’s instances like these when having a school resource officer there can make a difference.

“Obviously the action was taken immediately so I think it’s important that they’re there. Obviously we don’t have one for every school. I wish we did but with seventeen schools in the county we just don’t have the manpower to do that so they rotate schools and just fortunately yesterday they were in the right school,” said Chief Deputy Rocky Harnen with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office.

Berg remains in jail awaiting bond to be set.

The school system recently expanded the number of school resource officers from two to four.

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