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Teenagers arrested for violent activities

Arrest warrants were served Thursday (April 17) for five students at Gilmer High School and one student at Union Hill High School for violent criminal activity which occurred beginning the afternoon of Friday, April 11, at Gilmer High School and which culminated in the early morning hours of Sunday, April 13, in the Union Hill area, said Upshur County District Attorney Billy Byrd.

Arrested at Gilmer High School Thursday morning were Dean Griffith, 18, who was charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon; James Cameron Spencer, 17, deadly conduct; and Andrew John Schmidt, terroristic threat. Two juveniles from Gilmer High School were also taken into custody. Both juveniles were charged with making terroristic threats. Another juvenile was summoned to appear for breaking the tail lights out of a motor vehicle, Byrd said.

Laquentin Waters, 17, was arrested at Union Hill High School for terroristic threat.

The aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and criminal mischief incident occurred at Gilmer High School on April 11 at about 4 p.m., Byrd said.

“The aggravated assault involved Dean Griffith exiting a vehicle and threatening another student with bodily injury after pulling a golf club from the car,” Byrd said. “What followed was criminal mischief by knocking out the tail lights of a vehicle parked in the lot.

“The vehicle belonged to the student threatened with the golf club,” Byrd said. “The dispute carried on until the early morning hours of April 13, at about 2:30 a.m., when at least four of the people involved drove to a rural residence in the Union Hill area, exited their vehicle and made verbal threats to James Cameron Spencer. After they were asked to leave by Spencer’s mother, Spencer began firing a weapon and struck the vehicle at least one time. The four boys fled.”

Byrd said that the District Attorney’s Office, Gilmer Police Department, Texas Department of Public Safety and the Upshur County Juvenile Probation Department all joined in the investigation.

“The investigation into this incident is continuing, and more charges involving these criminal defendants, and possibly others, may follow,” Byrd said.

“I appreciate the level of cooperation received from Milton Wiley and his staff at Juvenile Probation, along with Gilmer Police Chief James Grunden and my investigator, Jon Warren,” Byrd said. “Further, DPS Sgt. Odie Hitt and Trooper Steve Sutton assisted with arrests at Union Hill High School.

“Violence and threats of violence will not be tolerated in this county,” Byrd said. “My office stands firm in our responsibility in protecting our community and getting the attention of our young people. Violence is not a reasonable way to solve disputes. There is no end when violence is injected into society at such a young age.

“Hopefully, these arrests have brought to light and gained the attention of other young people that choosing violence will land them behind bars.”

gilmermirror@gmail.com