School Multiple Murder Plot Uncovered at Rutherford
Save Email Print
Bookmark and Share
Updated: 7:17 AM Feb 7, 2008
School Multiple Murder Plot Uncovered at Rutherford
A Rutherford High School student is behind bars tonight for allegedly plotting against some classmates. A school resource officer claims to have uncovered the plot inside the student’s notebooks.
Posted: 7:14 PM Feb 6, 2008

Rutherford Murder Plot
Font Size:

A Rutherford High School student is behind bars tonight for allegedly plotting against some classmates. A school resource officer claims to have uncovered the plot inside the student’s notebooks.

A Rutherford student was arrested Wednesday on a charge of "written threats to kill or do bodily harm."

Authorities say, to the untrained eye, the student’s plot may have looked like nothing more than scribbling. But investigators say 14-year-old Dakota Gates was definitely planning to harm not only some of his classmates, but also some of the administrators at Rutherford.

School Resource Deputy Sgt. Myron Guilford uncovered the alleged plan, when he discovered a note gates had written Tuesday. At first glance it appeared to be meaningless hieroglyphics-type scribbles.

But on closer inspection, Guilford determined the scribblings were actually a detailed account of an attack Gates planned on classmates and school officials.

Guilford also claims to have found a list of students names Gates had targeted. During questioning Gates said the scribblings had no meaning.

Sgt. Guilford sent the note to the president of the Florida Gang Investigators Association who in turn sent it to the F-B-I. The F-B-I called Guilford Wednesday with a translation of the note, revealing a plot in meticulous detail.

Gates also allegedly wrote a "contract" and circulated it among the students stating if they signed his "contract" their lives would be spared when he began his killing spree.

Gates was booked into the Bay County Jail, then turned over to the Department of Juvenile Justice. He’s due in court Thursday for a bond hearing.


Latest Comments

Posted by: tronx Location: panama city on May 8, 2008 at 02:16 PM

i hope you all know that mr.guilford only arrested Mr.Gates under these circumstances because Mr.guilford is mad at Mr.Gates' mom(i wont go into detail). if you read the comment by "confused" they clearly help the case that Mr.guilford had no proof of these allogations untill after Mr.Gates was arrested, therefore it is safe to say that Mr.guilford just got lucky, and we all know it's election time, they are just using Mr.Gates to try and make it seem like they are actually doing something when they arent. i'ev been one of the poeple investigating(FBI) this case and it seems that yes, there was a coded note depicting death but the kids(not only Mr.Gates) were just depicting events from a popular anime(japanese book) DEATH NOTE. and the only paper Mr.guilford found was the decoded letter in "concerned"'s comment, whitch we have proven was meant as a decoy note, half on it isnt even true anyway, he just kept adding stuff on to throw them off the racks of the DEATH NOTE thank you, Tronx.
Posted by: Anonymous on Feb 10, 2008 at 03:22 PM

I totally agree with Betty down there. I was an aquaintance of Dakota's and I know that Dakota would never have done anything like that.You would have to go to the school that i DO TO SEE HOW HE WAS MISTREATED.Those kids were very mean to him.I myself being one of them, and if there is anything that I regret , It is not befriending Dakota. Because he was a nice kid. He was just very deeply misunderstood. You people take the time to think. If you're child were in the same situation as Dakota's. Would you still be saying put him in prison for ten years or whatever. It wasn't right what he did, but he is not the only one to blame. Dakota-I'm sorry :(
Posted by: confused Location: USA on Feb 10, 2008 at 03:08 PM

The school's resource Officer found a coded note, and a list, then without decoding the note decided it was a plot to kill people. He THEN sent it to the FBI for decoding. Does this make no sense to anyone? He had strange scribbles and a list of random names to go on, and decided it was a killing spree plot??!! Sounds like something strange is going on and Dakota is being scapegoated. IS someone loosing funding, or in fear of losing funding?
Headlines - msnbc.com
  • Skyscraper runners take workouts to incredible heights

    Sprinting up 86 flights of stairs of the Empire State Building -- even if it's for a worthy cause -- is not everyone's idea of a good time. Especially when there's an elevator nearby. But tonight, more than 650 participants will take the long way up one of New York's most iconic landmarks at this year's Empire State Building Run-Up.Sprinting up 86 flights of stairs of the Empire State Building -- even if it's for a worthy cause -- is not everyone's idea of a good time. Especially when there's an elevator nearby. But tonight, more than 650 participants will take the long way up one of New York's most iconic landmarks at this year's Empire State Building Run-Up.


  • Tainted wipes destroyed as firm moves forward
    Truckloads of alcohol wipes, tankers of bulk liquids and cartons of chemicals have been hauled to secure landfills and waste disposal centers as a Wisconsin medical products supplier works to recover from a year-long contamination scandal blamed for illness and death.
  • Most docs tell white lies, study finds
    More than half of doctors surveyed told patients an untruth and 20 percent didn't report a medical mistake, new research finds.
  • Heartburn drugs linked to serious infections
    FDA warns that people taking drugs that suppress stomach acid production may be at an increased risk for intestinal bacteria infections.
  • Care to downsize that order? Many want smaller portions

    Study finds that, when offered, many restaurant patrons choose to consume less food and fewer calories. Study finds that, when offered, many restaurant patrons choose to consume less food and fewer calories.


  • Teen pregnancy, abortion rates at record low
    Birth and abortion rates among U.S. teens fell to record lows in 2008 as increased use of contraceptives sent the overall teen pregnancy rate to its lowest level since at least 1972, a study showed on Wednesday.
  • Americans significantly lower trans fat over decade
    Study finds that Americancs have experienced a decline in their blood levels of trans fat, which could mean a decreased risk of heart disease.
  • Inhalable caffeine a cheap buzz, but may have risks

    Critics worry club-goers will use the the 'AeroShot' caffeine device so they can drink until they drop.Move over, coffee and Red Bull. A Harvard professor thinks the next big thing will be people inhaling their caffeine from a lipstick-sized tube. Critics say the novel product is not without its risks.


  • Komen charity under scrutiny for funding, science
    The Susan G. Komen for the Cure charity defines its mission as finding a cure for breast cancer. In recent years, however, it has cut by nearly half the proportion of fund-raising dollars it spends on grants to scientists working to understand the causes and develop effective new treatments for the disease.
  • Paternity questions plague 1 in 10, firm says

    The company that made its name peddling drugstore paternity tests to uncertain parents now says that more than 1 in 10 adults in the U.S. has had reason to ask the question: Who’s your Daddy? Gary Garner finally confirmed he's the real father of Skyler, 14. The company that made its name peddling drugstore paternity tests to uncertain parents now says that more than 1 in 10 adults in the U.S. has had reason to ask the question: Who’s your Daddy? Gary Garner finally confirmed he's the real father of Skyler, 14.