Man charged in Wake Tech lockdown

Raleigh, N.C. — The Wake County Sheriff's Office charged a 27-year-old man with communicating threats Tuesday after a lockdown at Wake Technical Community College.

Franklin Delano Rawls Jr., of Axum Road in Garner, is accused of threatening Latasha Stroud, also of Garner. He was being held on a $500 secured bond.

"This incident appears to be domestic-related and did not involve threats against Wake Tech," according to the sheriff's office.

Wake Tech lifted its lockdown around 10:30 a.m., about 90 minutes after a student reported getting a phone call about a man with a gun heading to campus.

Wake County sheriff's officials responded around 9 a.m. but did not find a man with a gun on school property. School officials say they had every building and classroom locked within 20 minutes.

"The goal is an hour, so that's really good," said Wake Tech President Stephen Scott.

Student Lillianna Tovar was stuck in computer class and said she didn't know what was going on until she got on Twitter and Facebook.

"Thank God it wasn't that bad," she said.

Wake Tech doesn't have its own Emergency Alert System for students, so the school partnered with the county last year to utilize its alert system. Sign up is voluntary and can be done through Wake Tech's website.

Students received a reminder email on Monday to sign up, but, because the information has to be manually inputted, anyone who signed up after last Friday wasn't in the system yet and didn't get Tuesday's alerts.

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Latest Comments

It's probably some NRA wanna-be gunslinger with a pistol on his hip. When I see one of these folks, I remove myself from the area and call the cops just in case.

JustOneGodLessThanU
January 26, 2012 12:59 p.m.

You just have to feel for the cops who weren't on duty yesterday but are today. Why they didn't get to turn on their siren and race like a bat out of somewhere to get to a nonexistent crime. Nor did they get to stalk around a parking lot with weapons drawn looking for someone to pop a cap in.

Stevie Crisper
January 25, 2012 5:33 p.m.

@ambygirl "with an active shooter..."

How many rounds did he shoot? Wouldn't you have to shoot before you could be an "active shooter"? Fine example of how people blow stuff all out of proportion. Next time you tell the story, it'll probably be a "massacre on Wake Tech".

Your "active shooter" wasn't even on campus!

Are you still skeered? Maybe you should petition for student with concealed handgun permits to carry on campus. Then you'll have someone to hide behind.

usemailinator
January 25, 2012 4:42 p.m.

@mjborders "What does a person look like to be on full scholarship? "

You figure it out.

Maybe now he will get the full scholarship to the university he shoulda been in to begin with. Central Prison Minority University.

usemailinator
January 25, 2012 4:36 p.m.

"He should have to pay the cost of the lock down, all the LEOs time and all!"

Yea it inst the responsibility of the police to be accountable for their over reaction and storming the place like it was under a siege. He never stepped foot on the campus. You don't even know what he actually said in the phone call. yet you want him to have to foot the bill for the lock down. Not happening and it shouldn't happen!

Stevie Crisper
January 25, 2012 3:59 p.m.