Former Lauderdale County Teacher Arrested for Online Threats to School Officials and Former Students

MERIDIAN, MS – A Meridian man, who is a former teacher in Lauderdale County, Mississippi, was charged today with federal offenses related to his alleged online threats against school officials and former students.

According to court documents, Daniel Christian Johnson, 36, made online threats over social media, including threats to kill named victims and commit other acts of violence using firearms and explosives. Additionally, law enforcement officers conducted a search of Johnson’s home last week and discovered what are alleged to be components of explosive devices or materials used for the manufacturing of explosives.  

Johnson is charged by federal criminal complaint with Interstate Communications with Threat to Kidnap or Injure and Willfully Making a Threat involving Explosive Materials. If convicted, Johnson faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.  Johnson has also been charged with Mississippi state offenses by the Office of the District Attorney for the 10th Circuit Court District, and he is presently in custody.  

U.S. Attorney Todd W. Gee of the Southern District of Mississippi and Special Agent in Charge Robert A. Eikhoff of the Federal Bureau of Investigation made the announcement.

The FBI and the Lauderdale County Sheriff’s Department are investigating the case. 

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Samuel Goff and Brett Grantham are prosecuting the case.

A criminal complaint is merely an allegation and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.