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1of24Brendan Tarwater brought an AK-47, two handguns and a Bowie knife to the school.Courtesy photoShow MoreShow Less2of24Parents arrive in front of Madison High School Monday April 28, 2014 after a student was allegedly caught there with weapons.JOHN DAVENPORT/San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less
3of244of24Police officers walk in a breezeway at Madison High School Monday April 28, 2014 after a student was taken into custody who allegedly had weapons in his backpack. No one was injured and many parents arrived to take their kids home from school.JOHN DAVENPORT/San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less5of24A police officer walks in the parking lot of Madison High School Monday April 28, 2014 after a student was taken into custody who allegedly had weapons in his backpack. No one was injured and many parents arrived to take their kids home from school.JOHN DAVENPORT/San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less
6of247of24Kim Hunt, right, comforts her daughter Katie Hunt, a 9th grader at Madison, who spent 50 minuets in a supply closet in complete darkness before they were given the all clear. Parents pickup their kids, students at Madison High School, where a student, a gunman, was apprehended for taking weapons to school. Monday, April 28, 2014.Bob Owen/San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less8of24A police officer arrives in the parking lot of Madison High School Monday April 28, 2014 after a student was taken into custody who allegedly had weapons in his backpack. No one was injured and many parents arrived to take their kids home from school.JOHN DAVENPORT/San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less
9of2410of24Parents wait in front of Madison High School Monday April 28, 2014 after a student was allegedly caught there with weapons.JOHN DAVENPORT/San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less11of24Parents wait in front of Madison High School Tuesday April 29, 2014 during what is being called a "soft lockdown." A student was caught yesterday at the school with weapons.JOHN DAVENPORT/San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less
12of2413of24Tomas Amaya, Jr.,16, (left) and his sister Cecelia Amaya,14, (right) leave Madison High School Tuesday April 29, 2014 with their mother Helen Aguirre (center) after a soft lockdown at the school was lifted. The school had a lockdown yesterday after weapons were found there.JOHN DAVENPORT/San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less14of24Mary Moore (right, foreground) leads a group of parents in prayer Tuesday April 29, 2014 in front of Madison High School after the school declared itself under lockdown for the second day in a row. Weapons were found at the school yesterday.JOHN DAVENPORT/San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less
15of2416of24Parents wait in front of Madison High School Tuesday April 29, 2014 during what is being called a "soft lockdown." A student was caught yesterday at the school with weapons.JOHN DAVENPORT/San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less17of24Rachel Fennell (left) leaves Madison High School Tuesday April 29, 2014 with her son Reece Fennell,16, (right) after students experienced a soft lockdown after a student allegedly received a text message with language about a weapon. The school had a lockdown yesterday after weapons were found.JOHN DAVENPORT/San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less
18of2419of24Parents wait in front of Madison High School Tuesday April 29, 2014 during what is being called a "soft lockdown." A student was caught yesterday at the school with weapons.JOHN DAVENPORT/San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less20of24Parents wait in a breezeway at Madison High School Tuesday April 29, 2014 during what is being called a "soft lockdown." A student was caught yesterday at the school with weapons. Tuesday's lockdown was lifted at about 1:00 p.m.JOHN DAVENPORT/San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less
21of2422of24Parents wait in front of Madison High School Tuesday April 29, 2014 during what is being called a "soft lockdown." A student was caught yesterday at the school with weapons. Tuesday's lockdown was lifted at about 1:00 p.m.JOHN DAVENPORT/San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less23of24Parents wait in a breezeway at Madison High School Tuesday April 29, 2014 during what is being called a "soft lockdown." A student was caught yesterday at the school with weapons. Tuesday's lockdown was lifted at about 1:00 p.m.JOHN DAVENPORT/San Antonio Express-NewsShow MoreShow Less
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The teenager who brought loaded guns to Madison High School last year and said he was planning to take hostages if his demands weren’t met will be going to state prison.
Brendan Sean Tarwater, now 18, was a sophomore when he brought an AK-47, two handguns, extra rounds of ammuniation and a Bowie knife to school in his backpack in April 2014. He was discovered before he could taken any action when his parents came to the school after reporting him missing.
No was injured, but the discovery triggered a lockdown. Later, school district officials imposed a ban on all backpacks that aren’t made of transparent materials.
In June, Tarwater pleaded no contest to a third-degree felony of bringing the guns to school and entered into a plea deal with the state that capped his punishment at eight years. Without a plea he could have faced up to 10 years.
State District Judge Sid Harle, who approved the plea, could have elected to have Tarwater serve the time on probation. The state indicated it was opposed to that, according to court files.
