BUCKHANNON — Community members raised concerns during the Upshur County Commission’s last meeting about the Upshur man who allegedly made threats against Hodgesville Elementary School students.

The citizens objected to Andrew Devon Hitt, 25, continuing to live near the school, prior to him being arrested again on Monday.

During the Upshur County Commission’s Nov. 20 meeting, the Commission reviewed and discussed correspondence they had received from Hodgesville community members Stephanie Beer and Angel Loudin regarding Hitt and his proximity to Hodgesville Elementary School after he was released from jail as part of a deferred adjudication agreement on Nov. 4.

Hitt allegedly made threats against his parents and against students at Hodgesville Elementary in May.

In a short letter to the Commission, Loudin stated that she was “deeply concerned” about the safety situation at Hodgesville Elementary as it not only affected the students and staff, but the entire community.

Loudin stated in her letter that she would be attending the Nov. 20 meeting to discuss seven points of concern, including “physical security options, including fencing and increased officer presence,” “enhanced communications with families and community” and “collaboration with state legislators on policy change.”

In her letter to the Commission, Beer asked for them to consider using county funds or approve fundraising to “erect a more suitable fence” around the Hodgesville Elementary playground. She explained that Hitt was permitted to return to his home, which was located “less than 300 feet from the playground with a full view of every child outside during playtime.”

“While I could argue all day over the failures of the healthcare and legal systems regarding mental health, and disparity of action plans for vulnerable societal members, this situation poses a series of significant concerns related to student and educator safety,” Beer wrote. “I genuinely believe that law enforcement, the office of the Upshur County Prosecutor and the Honorable Judge Reger have acted in the absolute best interest of the public. Unfortunately, that doesn’t protect students.”

Beer said the concern for students and staff at Hodgesville Elementary went beyond the threats made by Hitt, as the unobscured view of the playground left the children vulnerable to attacks from anyone with “means and intent.”

“Any individual has access to a full view of the playground from nearby homes and the roadway. The next person may have means and intent, leaving the students sitting ducks,” Beer wrote. “…A new fence would remove children from immediate view, serve as a barrier and provide a one-way access point to assist teachers in monitoring students and visitors.”

In her letter, which was sent to the Commission on Nov. 11, Beer also suggested adding a second PRO officer to Upshur County School. On Nov. 18, a new full-time Upshur County Sheriff’s Office deputy was assigned as a PRO officer at Hodgesville Elementary School.

In a statement released on Nov. 18, the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office announced that, “after much thought,” the office and other Upshur County officials had decided to assign a new full-time deputy PRO officer at Hodgesville Elementary. The officer will be in the school until January 2026.

“We feel that there is an obligation to protect the children and staff in the school,” the Sheriff’s Office statement read. “This placement will allow the other elementary PRO Officer to be at the other elementary schools in the county. This increase in monitoring will also give the Upshur County Board of Education a chance to plan how they will move forward after the Christmas break.”

Hitt was taken into custody again on Monday after allegedly failing to comply with the terms of his home confinement.

In a statement released on Monday, the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office announced that Hitt was charged with obstructing an officer, a misdemeanor, and received a home confinement violation. He is currently being held at the Tygart Valley Regional Jail on a $100,000 cash-only bond.

According to the statement, the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office did a home confinement check on Hitt on Monday. During these routine checks, they inspected Hitt’s cellphone and computer. Allegedly, the devices’ browsing history had been deleted, and Hitt advised officers that he “couldn’t remember passwords” to allow officers into programs as part of his home confinement terms.

“After conferring with the prosecuting attorney on the violations and noncompliance of Mr. Hitt, it was decided to charge Hitt with obstructing an officer (misdemeanor) and file a home confinement violation,” the statement from the Upshur County Sheriff’s Office reads.

According to circuit court records, on Nov. 4, Hitt entered into a deferred adjudication agreement in Upshur County Circuit Court. Upshur County Circuit Court Judge Jacob E. Reger accepted the deferred adjudication agreement. According to West Virginia State Code, this means the court deferred accepting Hitt’s guilty plea and deferred on entering a final judgement, releasing Hitt “upon such terms and conditions as the court deems just and necessary.”

Because the crime Hitt was accused of is a felony, West Virginia State Code states that the court may “defer adjudication for a period not to exceed three years.” This meant if Hitt complied with the conditions placed by the court for the three years, he could withdraw his plea of guilty and the charges against him could be dismissed. It was also possible that, after the three years, Hitt could be able to enter a plea of guilty or no contest to a lesser offense.

Hitt was initially indicted on two counts of threats of terroristic acts, a felony, by the Upshur County Grand Jury in September.

According to the criminal complaint filed by Cpl. Samuel W. Shahan with the West Virginia State Police, on May 5, Shahan received screenshots from an FBI agency in Florida that showed messages sent through the cross-platform communication app Discord by the screen name “Chicken Jockey SMD Scott.”

In the messages, the complaint states that the sender wrote, “I could even kill my parents and smear their blood all over the walls,” “I live near a school” and “I have had thoughts of how easy it would be to snipe those kids off one by one from my yard.”

On May 6, the FBI informed Shahan that the messages had been sent over Discord by the user biggie1._42404# and that they believed Hitt was the owner of the account, the complaint states.

Shahan said in the complaint that he spoke with Hitt on May 6 and, after being read his rights, Hitt confirmed that the account belonged to him and acknowledged that he had sent those messages.