On Wednesday, the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office (FCSO) arrested a 15-year-old student at Flagler Palm Coast High School for pointing a real-looking firearm at two students and threatening to “shoot” them.
SRD Deputy First Class Champion responded to the incident after one of the victims reported what happened to the Dean’s Office. DFC Champion spoke to the victims, who said the suspect was an unknown male student who pointed what appeared to be a “colorful gun” at them as they were walking into the gym. They said the suspect also pulled the trigger several times and told them he would shoot them. One of the victims said they were afraid for their life, so they ran into the nearby bathroom to hide from the suspect, but he waited until they came back out to continue threatening them. The victims then realized the weapon had an orange tip, and the suspect put the “gun” into his backpack.
After interviewing witnesses and using other investigative means, DFC Champion identified the suspect as Kevin Jones-Butt. DFC Champion spoke to the 15-year-old, who produced the “gun” out of his backpack. DFC Champion then identified the weapon as a gel blaster gun that replicated a Glock firearm with graffiti drawings on it.
“Never, ever threaten someone’s life, even with a fake gun,” said Sheriff Rick Staly. “A prank like this will only get you arrested. This type of behavior will not be tolerated in our schools. Fortunately, this was a fake gun, and the student immediately reported the incident and did exactly what they should have when threatened. Parents, talk to your children and be the Sheriff in your home. Otherwise, we will be, and your kid will be arrested!”
Flagler Schools Superintendent LaShakia Moore also added, “We applaud the student who immediately reported this incident to a staff member. She saw something and then said something. Although it appears this was a toy gun, we must take every incident in which a weapon is reported to be on any of our campuses seriously. We thank the quick actions of our campus staff as well as the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office in response to the alleged threat.”
Having any toy weapon on campus is against the Student Code of Conduct. Brandishing it like an actual weapon is a Level 4 violation, one of the most severe violations, and reported to the Florida Department of Education. It is also against Florida law.
Jones-Butt was arrested for Felony Aggravated Assault and Improper Exhibition of a Firearm. He was transported to the Sheriff Perry Hall Inmate Detention Facility and later taken to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice.
