*** Breaking News*** Man charged With Threatening Local Schools

An inmate in the Alexander County Detention Center was charged this morning in connection with recent threats made to Alexander County Schools.

24 year old Sadarius Trumane Douglas is charged with three counts of threat of mass violence on educational property, and making a threat of a destructive device on the local prison as well. Douglas is currently serving a 12 year sentence for statutory rape. He was convicted of the rape charge in Lincoln County. He is currently scheduled to be released in 2022.

On November 15th, a letter that originated from the Alexander County Correctional Institute was intercepted. The letter indicated that the prison would be “blown up” and the three closest schools on December 27th. the letter was addressed to Legal Services in Raleigh. The letter was signed by an unnamed inmate. That inmate denied any knowledge of the letter. The letter was sent to the North Carolina Crime Lab to be analyzed for fingerprints and DNA. The request was given top priority. Douglas was a match for the DNA obtained from the letter.

Sheriff Chris Bowman said this morning that the investigation points toward a possible “turf- war” within the local prison. The scenario outlined by the Sheriff indicates that the suspect, Douglas was attempting to implicate another inmate as the author of the letter. When asked why, Bowman said it’s possible it was an effort to get the other inmate transferred out of the Alexander County Prison.

Douglas is to be returned to custody at the local prison. On the local charges, Douglas was placed under a secured bond of $150,000.

Sheriff Bowman thanked the Department of Public Safety, Division of Prisons. Alexander County Schools released a statement thanking law enforcement for their work. County Schools have had an extra law enforcement on and around each campus since the threatening letter was intercepted.