A woman in South Carolina was arrested on Tuesday for joking about a gunman on campus at the school she works for, the New York Daily News reported.
Angela Timmons, a 54-year-old employee at Virginia College, sent a text to her daughter, April Timmons, 34, saying that a shooter was on the loose near school -- as an April Fools joke.
April, who was in New York at the time, immediately notified police, prompting them to rush to the scene.
"I'm thinking Columbine High School, Sandy Hook, Virginia Tech," Spartanburg County Sheriff Chuck Wright told WSMV-TV.
Eventually, authorities discovered nothing was wrong at the school and Timmons told her daughter that the text was a prank.
"Oh my goodness," April reportedly told the 911 dispatcher. "She's saying she's playing an April Fools' joke. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry, sir."
While everyone was relieved that the campus was safe, Wright expressed his disappointment in Timmons' action.
"Text someone and tell them their tire's flat, that's funny," he said. "We're talking about death. It's real. The people of Sandy Hook, when they see this online, they're not going to think it's very funny. I don't think it's very funny."
Following the incident, Timmons was charged with one count of aggravated breach of peace, one count of disturbing a school, and two counts of unlawful use of a telephone.
A student told local media that Timmons works in the school's financial aid office.
Diane Worthington, vice president of marketing for Virginia College, released a statement following the incident.
"We are very, very disappointed regarding the poor judgment displayed," said Worthington. "We apologize to the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office, first responders, students and staff. We take student safety very seriously, and we are cooperating with the Spartanburg County Sheriff's Office."
