18-year-old facing terroristic threat charge

Published 2:30 am Wednesday, November 11, 2026

By Kimberly Langston

An 18-year-old West Plains man who allegedly threatened to “shoot up the school” in late August has been charged with a felony count of first-degree making a terrorist threat.

Court records show Thomas J. Long was issued a criminal summons on Oct. 6. He is scheduled to make an initial appearance Nov. 23 before Associate 37th Circuit Judge R. David Ray.

West Plains Police Cpl. Ivie Powell, who investigated the incident, reported that on Aug. 28 he responded to Ozarks Healthcare, where Long had been placed on a 96-hour hold for a mental health evaluation.

Powell reported a witness informed him When questioned by the officer, Long reportedly admitted he knew police were there because of the statements he had made. According to the probable cause statement, Long told Powell he had claimed he was going to have his cousin take a gun to school and carry out the shooting. Long then told the officer he did not mean what he said, explaining he was angry because another student had been making disparaging remarks about his deceased mother and his sister.

During a separate interview with the cousin, Powell was told Long had stated he was going to shoot up the school and wanted the cousin to accompany him, but the cousin refused.

The case is being prosecuted by Howell County Prosecutor Mike Hutchings and Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Benjamin Sterling. Long did not have legal representation as of Friday morning, according to court records.