An upstate New York principal was taken hostage by an adult gunman inside the Stissing Mountain High School this morning. After more than two hours of negotiations with police, the suspect surrendered.
Christopher Craft Sr., 42, allegedly snuck a disassembled shotgun onto the campus. He then assembled it in a bathroom before taking the school’s principal Robert Hess hostage.
Craft was arrested without any shots fired. He is being charged with first-degree kidnapping, third-degree criminal possession of a weapon and first-degree criminal trespass.
According to USA Today, Craft was a former student of the school. The alleged kidnapping was not over a school related issue. According to the Associated Press, Craft was upset by the treatment of U.S. military personnel and has a son in the military.
Officers on scene escorted students out of the locked-down campus. No injuries were reported. According to reports, Craft did not threaten to harm students or staff members during the stand-off.
Craft is requesting help from a psychiatric facility instead of jail time. He allegedly was previously on medication for depression.
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