A physical plant employee was relieved of his job and banned from campus for one year following his arrest for allegedly threatening a fellow employee with a knife.
James E. Sutton was arrested and jailed on Friday after being accused of threatening a co-worker, on two separate occasions, with a knife.
On one occasion, Sutton allegedly placed the knife to the victim's throat and said, "I will cut your damn throat in a heartbeat," according to a police report detailing the incident.
The first incident allegedly occurred on Wednesday, the second on Friday. Both incidents were reported to the GSU police department on Friday, GSU police chief Ken Brown said. Sutton, who had worked at GSU for 9 years, has since been given a letter of termination detailing workplace violations, according to reports.
Sutton has also been banned from campus by the university police for one year, Brown said. "Sutton can be arrested for criminal trespass, which is a misdemeanor, if he returns to campus," Brown said.
Sutton's first appearance hearing took place at the Magistrate Court on Monday under the direction of Judge June Braswell. The first appearance hearing serves to formally explain the charges to the accused, Brown said. Brown would neither confirm nor deny reports that Sutton kept a loaded .38 calibre pistol in his desk, nor that there was bomb making literature found in his desk.
Sutton is currently being held in the Bulloch County jail without bond.
Originally published in The George-Anne, Georgia Southern University's student newspaper, November 10, 1999.