This story has been updated to include the latet information.
On Thursday afternoon, the University of North Georgia confirmed details of an arrest at the UNG Dahlonega Library nine days earlier, on April 8.
A UNG student identified as 26-year-old Gabriel Jose Hernandez was arrested in the library after making threats. Police say they found a concealed handgun in his waistband at the time of his arrest, and a search of his vehicle, which police say was parked near the library, uncovered an AR-15-style rifle.
An email from the UNG Office of the President stated that “following the charges, Hernandez was issued a criminal trespass notice barring him from all University of North Georgia properties.”
That same email detailed the sequence of events on the day of the arrest, “At approximately 11:00 a.m., UNG Public Safety dispatch received a report of an individual near the Military Leadership Center (MLC) who appeared to be carrying a rifle case. Officers arrived within minutes and initiated an immediate search of the area. Additional witness reports helped narrow the search to the library parking lot.
“At 11:13 a.m., staff at the UNG Library and Technology Center reported that an individual inside the library had made a threatening statement to front desk staff. Officers responded immediately, detaining the individual by 11:15 a.m. No injuries occurred, and the individual was taken into custody without incident.”
The UNG Crime Log and the Lumpkin County Sheriff’s Office list charges against Hernandez including criminal trespass, weapons carried on school property and making terroristic threats. Hernandez was also charged with illiegally parking in a handicapped parking spot. All of the crimes are misdemeanors and bond for all four charges was set at a total of $4950.
The Forsyth County News reports that Hernandez was released from jail the next day after posting bond.
UNG Police could not confirm details about the incident. But, a student witness who said they were in the library when Hernandez was arrested posted on YikYak, a location-based, anonymous social media app. The student wrote, “I was sitting there with my headphones on, and I look up and this guy is getting handcuffed. Apparently, he told the front desk staff that it was ‘about to get loud’, [so] the front desk staff called the police covertly.” A UNG Library employee confirmed the statement to be accurate.
Andrew Barnes, a senior kinesiology major, says, “I was in a study room on the second floor, and I had no idea there was even a threat or arrest happening until an email was sent out saying the situation was resolved.”
You can find information about crimes on campus at UNG’s Crime Log.
