A 17-year-old has been accused of making threats against Hamilton High School in Sussex.
Nolan Dwyer of Sussex was charged as an adult Nov. 13 in Waukesha County Circuit Court with one felony count of making terrorist threats. If convicted, he could face up to 3½ years in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both, according to the criminal complaint.
Dwyer made his initial court appearance Nov. 13. He is free on a $2,500 signature bond and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing on Dec. 15, according to online court records.
Mark Powers, who is listed as Dwyer’s attorney in online court records, did not immediately respond to a reporter’s phone or email requests seeking comment.
According to the criminal complaint:
A Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department deputy responded Nov. 12 to CESA on Paul Road in the City of Pewaukee for a complaint that a student had threatened to commit a school shooting.
A teacher told the deputy she heard Dwyer tell other students that he was not going back to his former school district and that if he did, he would shoot up the school. The teacher said Dwyer was referring to Hamilton High School.
The teacher repeatedly told Dwyer to stop talking like that, but he continued, the complaint said. He said he would walk down the halls or into the office and start shooting; he also said he was serious, indicated that he hates the school and made gunshot noises. A student also told Dwyer it wasn’t something to joke about, the teacher said.
Dwyer initially admitted to the deputy that he had made such statements, but said “he had a lot going on in his head” both at school and personally and that he did not have access to a gun, according to the complaint. Dwyer then backtracked and said he would not do such a thing, had not made any threats and claimed the teacher was lying. He also said there were no other students around who could have heard him saying such a thing, the complaint said.
Dwyer’s mother told the deputy she owns a handgun, but said it was locked up and that Dwyer did not have access to it. She also told the deputy that she wanted to get rid of the gun and planned to sell it to a firearm store, the complaint said.
District response
In a Nov. 17 letter to parents, Hamilton School District Superintendent Paul Mielke said the district frequently communicates with the Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department about safety matters. He said at no point did police inform the district of an imminent threat or advise the district to alter its typical school day procedures.
Mielke noted that the student alleged to have made the comments and the people who heard them do not attend Hamilton High School.
He also addressed parent concerns that they had not been immediately notified about the threat. He said the district would have notified families as soon as possible if there had been any immediate concern for safety.
“This was the first time we have addressed a situation involving a student who is off-site, which required navigating circumstances that did not align with our typical protocols,” Mielke said. “As always, we collaborated closely with law enforcement, followed internal safety protocols and activated our threat assessment process.” He added that even when threats are determined not to present immediate danger, they are fully investigated.
“Going forward, we will work to address off-site situations the same way we handle those occurring within our district. We will continue to review our practices and make adjustments that best support our families and community,” Mielke said.
The Waukesha County Sheriff’s Department planned to have an increased presence at Hamilton High School this week, he said.
(This story was updated to add a photo.)
Contact Alec Johnson at (262) 875-9469 or alec.johnson@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @AlecJohnson12.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 17-year-old charged with making shooting threat against Hamilton High School in Sussex
Reporting by Alec Johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
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