A college student at North Carolina‘s Edgecombe Community College was arrested after allegedly bringing guns and ammunition to campus Monday morning.
A faculty member saw Jason William Messenbrink, 24, acting “erratically” in a parking lot near campus, according to a news release by the Tarboro Police Department. Police say they searched Messenbrink’s car and found three rifles and ammunition.
Guns, ammo found in man’s car on Edgecombe Community College campus, police say https://t.co/JdCYJY4zCz pic.twitter.com/FWXofGxSxR
— CBS 17 (@WNCN) October 18, 2022
Police also claimed they found items in Messenbrink’s car “that linked the individual to a hate-based group.”
“[The faculty member] happened to be going out. She could have chalked it up to ‘oh this student is having a bad day. Let me get out of here,'” Edgecombe President Dr. Greg McLeod said, according to ABC 11.
“But she didn’t. She recognized that at least some intervention or at least some external review, perhaps by a trained officer, in this case, to intervene and look at the situation,” McLeod added. “So thankfully she did.”
Officials evacuated campus and canceled classes to search the rest of campus, according to the news release. Classes resumed Tuesday after officials didn’t find anything. (RELATED: Teenager Caught With Loaded Gun At School, Third Time In One Location In Weeks)
“Honestly, I thought it was just a training drill, but when it came to [it], when I saw the K-9 units and all the other police cars around, scoping out the scene, I knew it was more serious,” one student said, reported ABC 11. “So I did have thoughts like ‘oh man. This could be it.'”
Police also searched Messenbrink’s house but did not find any additional evidence, according to police. Messenbrink was charged with possession of a firearm on educational property.