Tennessee Criminal Lawyer Blog

The Tennessee criminal defense attorneys at Baker Associates in Knoxville and Sevierville stay on top of new developments in criminal law. Our firm has successfully handled cases involving new and recently changed criminal and juvenile offenses.

Communicating a Threat Concerning a School Employee:

On July 1, 2008, the Tennessee General Assembly enacted a new law criminalizing Communicating a Threat Concerning A School Employee. Under the new law, a person commits the offense of communicating a threat concerning a school employee if:
(1) The person communicates to another a threat to cause the death of or serious bodily injury to a school employee and the threat is directly related to the employee's scope of employment;
(2) The threat involves the use of a firearm or other deadly weapon;
(3) The person to whom the threat is made reasonably believes that the person making the threat intends to carry out the threat;
(4) The person making the threat intentionally engages in conduct that constitutes a substantial step in the commission of the threatened act and the threatened act and the substantial step when taken together:
(A) Are corroborative of the person's intent to commit the threatened act;
and
(B) Occur close enough in time to evidence an intent and ability to commit the threatened act.

Communicating a death threat concerning a school employee is a Class B misdemeanor punishable by a maximum term of imprisonment of thirty (30) days.

If you or a relative has been charged with Communicating a Threat Concerning a School Employee, possession of a weapon at school, or another school-related offense, contact our criminal defense attorneys today for a free consultation.

Source: T.C.A. § 39-13-114 (2008).