School Multiple Murder Plot Uncovered at Rutherford
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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
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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.
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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 :(
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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?
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