Dalton High School teacher who fired gun in classroom indicted by grand jury

Jesse Randal Davidson
Jesse Randal Davidson

A grand jury indicted Dalton (Ga.) High School teacher Jesse Randal Davidson on Thursday, charging him with aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime, possession of a weapon in a school safety zone and disrupting a public school.

The first three charges are felonies, Conasauga Judicial Circuit District Attorney Bert Poston said. The fourth charge is a misdemeanor.

photo Jesse Randal Davidson

Dalton police arrested Davidson on Feb. 28 after he fired a .38 out his classroom window. Investigators said he sneaked the gun into school in his computer bag, taught his first period social studies class and then locked the door during his planning period. When the period was up, students tried to get inside for the next class.

Principal Steve Bartoo unlocked the door, he said, but Davidson yelled something and shut it again. He then fired a shot out the window. He did not hit anybody. Administrators put the classrooms into a lockdown, during which students turned off the lights and barricaded themselves behind stacks of desks. Davidson turned himself in after officers responded to the school.

Davidson has not returned to school since the arrest. Dalton Public Schools spokeswoman Pat Holloway said administrators will not renew his contract for next year.

Davidson had previous run-ins with law enforcement. In August 2016, the Dade County Sheriff's Office responded to his house after he allegedly set a car on fire. His son told investigators he was sitting outside with a rifle. The sheriff's office brought him to a hospital for a mental evaluation and seized his rifles, which they later turned over to his wife.

In March 2016, Davidson told Dalton police that he accidentally arranged to have a woman killed. He said the woman had given birth to his child; supposedly, she was a bad mother. He said his friends offered to "take care" of her, and he later realized they killed her.

Dalton Police Department spokesman Bruce Frazier said investigators found no evidence that Davidson actually arranged to have her killed, or that the supposed victim even existed.

Contact staff writer Tyler Jett at 423-757-6476 or tjett@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @LetsJett.

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