GAFFNEY, S.C. (WSPA) – Police arrested a man they said was spotted near a Gaffney middle school Monday afternoon with a gun.
The Gaffney Police Department said they, along with the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office, responded to a report of a man with a gun near Ewing Middle School on East Junior High Road around 2:50 p.m.
A witness told police that they saw a man with a rifle or shotgun walk into the woods next to the school.
Ewing Middle School was placed into lockdown while officers searched the area.
The suspect, identified as Jamie Dale Patterson, was found walking along Dogwood Drive, according to Gaffney Police.
Officers said they were able to find a camouflaged shotgun behind a home on Dogwood Drive which used to be the home of Patterson’s mother.
Patterson was arrested and charged with Possession of a Weapon by a Convicted Felon. Police said Patterson is also facing other charges but did not specify what those charges were.
The school lockdown was later lifted.