From staff reports

Authorities on Friday afternoon briefly increased security at Griffin Technical College after a GTC student threatened to climb to the roof and start shooting students, according to a Spalding County Sheriff’s Office press release.

The student threatened to take the action if he did not pass a class.

The threat was made at a “clinical site” in Clayton County, according to GTC Director of Public Information Anna Taylor.

Taylor could not provide further details about the location where the threat was made.

Spalding County Sheriff Dee Stewart said the student has been removed from the school and issued a criminal trespass warning. The student is not allowed to return to the school, Stewart said.

The increased security remained in place until the student was located.

Because the investigation is ongoing, the Sheriff’s Office is not releasing the student’s name. Because the threat was made in Clayton County, the investigation has been turned over to Clayton County authorities.

Stewart said the Sheriff’s Office takes all threats seriously, and specifically mentioned the school shootings that have occurred in recent years.